Region

MUNICH, Germany — The situation in war-torn Libya is "deeply troubling", a United Nations representative said on Sunday, warning that a fragile truce was hanging "by a thread" as daily life in the North African country worsens.

Speaking after talks with foreign ministers in the German city of Munich, the UN's deputy special representative to Libya Stephanie Williams said that over 150 violations had been reported since last month's ceasefire was agreed.

She also slammed the ongoing breaches of a much-abused UN weapons embargo, even after foreign countries agreed in January to stop meddling in a conflict that has dragged in major regional rivals.

“The situation on the ground remains deeply troubling. The truce is holding only by a thread,” Williams said on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

“It is the Libyan people that continue to suffer the most. The economic situation continues to deteriorate, exacerbated by the oil blockade.”

Libya has been mired in chaos since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising killed Muammar Qadhafi, with two rival administrations vying for power.

The conflict deepened when military strongman Khalifa Haftar, who controls much of the south and east of Libya, launched an assault to seize Tripoli, the base of the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) led by Fayez Al Sarraj.

States including Russia, France, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt support Haftar, while the GNA is backed by Turkey and Qatar.

World leaders agreed at a Berlin summit last month to end all meddling in the conflict and stop the flow of weapons into Libya, but little has changed on the ground since then.

At Sunday’s follow-up meeting in Munich, foreign ministers from over a dozen countries called the continued embargo violations “deplorable”.

They urged Libya’s warring parties, who did not take part in the meeting, to “maintain the current truce” and step up efforts to negotiate a lasting ceasefire.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas described a recent first meeting between military representatives from both sides as “a good sign”, aimed at discussing ways to end the fighting.

Maas said the next so-called 5+5 meeting would take place in Geneva on Tuesday.

The Libyan rivals are also scheduled to hold their first “political dialogue” on February 26.

Rome is set to host the next international talks on Libya under the aegis of the United Nations.

KARBALA, Iraq — Hundreds of Iraqis rallied on Sunday to support a protest leader they want as prime minister instead of current premier-designate Mohammad Allawi, who they see as too close to the ruling class.

Appointed on February 1, Allawi has pledged to announce his Cabinet lineup within the week even as he faces ongoing protests against his nomination — and a new contender.

In the shrine city of Karbala, dozens of students took to the streets carrying photos of Alaa Al Rikaby, a pharmacist who has emerged as a prominent activist in the protest hotspot of Nasiriyah, further south. 

"We're here to show our support for Alaa Al Rikaby, the candidate of the people!" said Seif Al Hasnawy, a 20-year-old student.

Rikaby, who has a round face and closely trimmed beard, began demonstrating in early October alongside others fed up with rampant corruption, lack of jobs and poor public services.

He has since risen to local fame with a series of videos posted on Twitter to his tens of thousands of followers, discussing politics and a path forward for the otherwise leaderless anti-government movement.

In one video last week, he asked protesters who gather at squares across the country to show whether they would back him for the post of prime minister, in a novel approach for a political nomination in Iraq. 

“If the people decide so, I’d accept,” he said in his latest video on Thursday.

“This post has no value as such for me. I don’t see it as a prize, but rather as a huge responsibility,” said Rikaby, who has a tent pitched in central Nasiriyah targeted in a recent stun grenade attack.

In Karbala, university student Hassan Qazwini told AFP: “We protesters have numerous demands, and one of them is an independent prime minister without ties to parties — like Alaa Al Rikaby.”

Before Rikaby, Faeq Al Sheikh Ali, a liberal critic of the ruling class, also declared himself a candidate but has not received mass public or political backing. 

Allawi was nominated on February 1 as a consensus candidate among Iraq’s fractured political parties but has only been publicly endorsed by cleric Moqtada Sadr, who has a cult-like following across the country.

Since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein, cabinets have been formed through a sectarian power-sharing system, leading to widespread horsetrading among various sects and parties.

Iraq’s Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish factions are likely to hold on tight to their shares of posts in the outgoing Cabinet and aim to carry them over into the next lineup.

Allawi has until March 2 to form a government and Iraqi officials have quietly expressed scepticism that he would be able to complete it in time.

But in a surprising tweet on Saturday, Allawi said he would be ready to submit a cabinet to parliament within the week for a vote of confidence. 

Parliament is officially in recess until mid-March and the house speaker, Mohammed Halbusi, has not yet scheduled an extraordinary session. 

BEIRUT — The Syrian army on Sunday seized a dozen villages and small towns as they pressed an offensive in the country's northwest against the last major rebel bastion, a war monitor said.

The government forces have kept up the assault on the Idlib region and areas of neighbouring Aleppo and Latakia provinces since December.

On Sunday, they captured 13 villages and small towns north and northwest of the city of Aleppo, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Syria's state run agency SANA said army units were pushing on with their advance around Aleppo.

The army has for weeks been making gains in northwestern Syria and chipping away at territory held by extremists and allied rebels, focusing their latest operations on the west of Aleppo province.

The drive aims to bolster security in Syria's second city Aleppo, which the army retook completely from insurgents at the end of 2016 but which is still targeted by rocket fire.

Last week, the army seized control of the strategic M5 highway which connects the capital Damascus to Aleppo, the country's former economic hub, and is economically vital for the government.

According to the observatory, the government forces are trying to consolidate a "security belt" around the M5 and on Friday they seized a key base lost to the rebels in 2012 just west of Aleppo.

BAGHDAD — Multiple rockets hit an Iraqi base hosting American troops near the US embassy early Sunday, the latest in a flurry of attacks against US assets in the country.

"The Coalition confirms small rockets impacted the Iraqi base hosting [coalition] troops in the International Zone... No casualties," said coalition spokesman Myles Caggins.

That base, known as Union III, is the headquarters for the US-led coalition, deployed in Iraq since 2014 to help local troops fight the Daesh group. 

Iraq's military said three Katyusha rockets hit inside the Green Zone, the high-security enclave where the US mission and Union III are located, as well as Iraqi government buildings, United Nations offices and other embassies.

A fourth rocket hit a logistics base in a different neighbourhood operated by the Hashed Al Shaabi, a military network officially incorporated into the Iraqi state, the Iraqi military said. 

There was no immediate statement from the Hashed. 

Strikes on assets of both the US and Hashed at the same time are unusual, as Washington has blamed hardline elements within the military network for repeated rocket attacks on American installations across Iraq. 

Sunday's was the 19th attack since October to target either the embassy or the roughly 5,200 US troops stationed alongside local forces across Iraq. 

No group has claimed responsibility for any of the incidents.

In late December, a rocket attack on the northern Iraqi base of K1 left one US contractor dead and unleashed a dramatic series of events. 

Washington responded with retaliatory strikes against Kataeb Hizbollah, a hardline Hashed faction in western Iraq.

Days later, an American drone strike in Baghdad killed top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and his right-hand man, Hashed deputy chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

Hashed factions have vowed revenge for the pair's death but said they would prioritise a political objective first: the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq.

But the network includes a broad range of groups and some have appeared more willing to harass US troops militarily. 

Sunday's attack came just hours after one of the Hashed's Iran-backed factions, Harakat Al Nujaba, announced a "countdown" to ousting American forces from the country.

A top leader within Nujaba, Nasr Al Shammary, tweeted a photograph of what he claimed was an American military vehicle, adding: "We are closer than you think."

TEHRAN — Conservatives are expected to make a resurgence on next Friday when Iranians elect a new parliament, a legislative chamber that shapes debate in the Islamic republic.

Voters will also choose replacements on February 21 for deceased members of the Assembly of Experts, a clerical body responsible for appointing and monitoring Iran's supreme leader.

Here is a look at the role of the parliament in the Islamic republic:

What is the Iranian parliament? 

Iran has some institutions and many officials appointed by the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but the parliament and Assembly of Experts are elected directly by the people.

The parliament, known officially as the Islamic Consultative Assembly, drafts legislation, ratifies international treaties and approves the national budget.

Five seats are guaranteed for religious minorities: One for Zoroastrians, one for Jews, one for Assyrian and Chaldean Christians and two for Armenian Christians.

The parliament, also known as the Majles, passes legislation before it is forwarded to the Guardian Council and president for approval.

It also has the authority to question and approve would-be ministers and presidents.

Elections are held every four years for 290 seats, while the 88 members of the Assembly of Experts are elected every eight years.

Seven of the assembly's members have died in the past four years, resulting in next Friday's by-election.

The assembly generally has a low profile, but Khamenei is 80 years old and it would be its task to pick his successor after he dies.

Who gets to vote? 

Every Iranian above the age of 18 and holding a valid identity card can vote in elections.

Candidates can campaign for a week up until 24 hours before the election begins.

Polling stations open at 8:00 am (04:30 GMT) on Friday and close 10 hours later, but voting can be extended if deemed necessary by the authorities.

 Who approves candidates? 

The Guardian Council, which is dominated by ultra-conservatives, is a powerful body that oversees Iran's elections.

It is made up of six clerics appointed by the supreme leader and six lawyers selected by the judiciary.

The council is allowed to vet election candidates and can prevent them from running.

For this election, it has disqualified more than half of the 14,444 candidates who sought to stand, including dozens of mostly moderate and reformist incumbents.

President Hassan Rouhani, whose alliance fears losing its majority in the poll, warned of threats to Iran's "democracy and national sovereignty" following the disqualifications.

Who is running? 

The candidates are traditionally from two general political movements in Iran: Reformists and conservatives.

This time, however, after the disqualification of 7,296 would-be candidates, the main competition will be between conservatives and ultra-conservatives.

The conservatives are gathered around former Tehran mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who defines himself as a "technocrat".

They publicly supported the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.

The ultra-conservatives are hardliners who call themselves "revolutionaries". They rejected the nuclear deal and oppose any negotiations with the West.

How are factions aligning? 

It is customary for Iran's two main political factions to present a "list" of candidates.

Both appear divided in this election.

The reformists denounced the impossibility of a "fair" contest in more than 70 per cent of constituencies and said they would be unable to present a joint list for Tehran, in an unprecedented move.

They suggested they were not in a position to put forward 30 candidates known to the general public.

But the reformist newspaper Sazandegi announced on Sunday that a reformist party it backs has put together a list for the capital.

That list is comprised of unknowns, however, and the initiative comes from a single reformist party.

On the other hand, the "principalists" — or conservatives — appear to have too many approved candidates to choose from for a united front.

Topping one of their main lists in the capital is Ghalibaf, a three-time presidential candidate, former police chief and member of the Revolutionary Guards, as well as Tehran mayor from 2005 to 2017.

Yet, fighting between conservatives and ultra-conservative factions has so far prevented them from presenting a single united list.

SKOURA, Morocco — Dead palm trees lie on dry, yellowish earth near an abandoned adobe house in Morocco's arid southeast, as drought threatens ancient oases.

"I grew up in this oasis and I have seen it shrink," says 53-year-old Mohamed El Houkari, who lives in Skoura, a rural oasis area of around 40 square kilometres.

For centuries, Morocco's oases have been home to human settlements, agriculture, and important architectural and cultural heritage, thanks also to trans-Saharan trade caravan routes.

Long a buffer against desertification, they have gone through cycles of drought in recent decades and are now "threatened with extinction", Greenpeace has warned, due to the impact of high temperatures.

In most of the Skoura oasis, the ground is dry and cracked.

Until the 1980s, "pomegranate and apple trees flourished here", says Houkari, who is also part of a local development NGO.

Now, only hardy olive trees grow in the shadow of the palms.

 Over-exploitation 

The Skoura region used to attract farmers. These days, most young people work elsewhere, though some stay for the developing tourism sector.

"I am ready to sell my land, but there is nobody to buy it. Everyone has left," says Ahmed, a farmer.

The man in his 50s settled in Skoura with his family 25 years ago, "when the area was green and there was plenty of water. But the drought has destroyed everything".

Electrician Abdeljalil spends most of his time between the cities of Marrakesh and Agadir.

"Our life isn't here anymore," the 37-year-old says.

He observes that the use of electric pumps and has contributed to the overexploitation of the groundwater.

Residents say they now need to dig down over 40 metres  to find water, compared to seven to 10 metres in the 1980s.

Houkari laments the abandonment of traditional methods — like the "khatarat" canal irrigation system — that allowed water to be distributed "economically and rationally".

Using the pumps is also costly, Ahmed, the farmer complains.

Morocco's high level of water stress doesn't just affect life in the oases.

In 2017, protests were held in the semi-desert southern town of Zagora against repeated water cuts.

This year, the kingdom launched an almost $12 billion national programme for the supply of potable and irrigation water through to 2027.

Under a separate initiative, "we set ourselves the goal of mobilising 1 billion cubic metres  of water by the end of 2020," says Brahim Hafidi, director general of the national agency for the development of oasis zones (ANDZOA), referring to efforts to build dams and rehabilitate irrigation canals.

'Very real' danger 

According to Greenpeace, droughts have increased in frequency in Tunisia, Morocco, Syria and Algeria over the past decades, rising from once every five years to once every two years in Morocco.

"Oases rely on subterranean waters, which generally come from snow," notes Lahcen El Maimouni, a local academic, who says global warming has hurt the oases.

The Atlas Mountains, visible on the horizon from Skoura, are capped in white.

But the snow is not enough to sustain the dry beds of the wadis that cross the oasis, and the effects of drought are visible along the rugged road that leads to Skoura.

To rehabilitate oasis areas, ANDZOA has planted three million trees, the agency's director general says.

Morocco has lost two-thirds of its 14 million palms over the last century, according to official figures.

But for Skoura resident Houkari, saving the oases also requires raising awareness of the risk of desertification.

Palm trees have even been removed and sold to villa owners, he adds with regret.

"The danger of the oases disappearing is very real," he says, in front of a dry irrigation canal.

By Ismail Bellaouali

MUNICH, Germany — International efforts to mediate between Tehran and the US are being thwarted by President Donald Trump's advisers misleading him into thinking the Iranian regime is collapsing, the country's foreign minister said on Saturday.

France and Japan have both sought to foster dialogue between the two foes in recent months in a bid to calm spiralling tensions, but without success.

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Trump was being badly advised and this had led him to reject overtures from French President Emmanuel Macron and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

"Unfortunately the suggestions by Macron and by Abe and others have all fallen on deaf ears because President Trump has been convinced that we are about to collapse, so he doesn't want to talk to a collapsing regime," Zarif said at the Munich Security Conference.

"I believe President Trump unfortunately does not have good advisers. He's been waiting for the Iranian government's collapse since he withdrew from the nuclear deal."

The nuclear accord that curbed Iran's nuclear programme has been slowly crumbling since Trump pulled out in 2018 and reimposed tough sanctions, despite European efforts to save it.

The US and Iran have also been at loggerheads over the Islamic republic's ballistic missile programme and its interference in regional conflicts around the Middle East.

Tensions came to a head in January when the US killed top Iranian Gen Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike in Baghdad, prompting fears of all-out war.

Zarif said retaliatory rocket attacks by Iran on US-used bases in Iraq soon after the Soleimani killing were the end of the military response.

But he suggested a possible informal response by hinting at "consequences from the population" — likely a veiled reference to Iran's network of proxy militias across the Middle East.

Zarif said Trump suffered bad advice from his hawkish former national security advisor John Bolton, the architect of Washington's "maximum pressure" strategy on Iran.

"Now today with John Bolton gone unfortunately somebody else is trying to mimic John Bolton and promise the president that killing Soleimani will bring people to dance in the streets of Tehran and Baghdad," Zarif said.

While the Iranian minister did not name those he thought were misleading Trump, he has traded barbs repeatedly with his US counterpart Mike Pompeo.

And his mention of dancing in the street was an apparent reference to a tweet by Pompeo following the killing of Soleimani.