Arab League Summit Postponed Amid Corona Fear, Dispute Over Syria's Membership
Arab World
Cairo - Sawsan Abu Hussein, Mohamed Nabil Helmy
Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit (C), Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohamed al-Hakim (R), and Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi attend an emergency meeting at the Arab League headquarters in the Egyptian capital Cairo. (File photo: AFP)
The 31st Arab Summit planned for the end of March in Algeria may be held before the end of June, in the wake of updates related to 'coronavirus' and the different visions regarding the return of Syria’s membership to the Arab League. Syria’s membership has been suspended since 2011 and the issue of bringing it back to the League surfaced several times, however, officials from the League affirmed that none of the members made a request in this regard. Speaking at a joint press conference on Saturday with Algerian Foreign Minister Sabri Boukadoum, Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit expressed hope that the Arab summit will be held before the end of June. Aboul Gheit attributed the matter to current global developments, especially health conditions that cause concern from meetings and gatherings. We hope these global conditions end before the proposed date, he said. The decision will be taken in coordination with Algeria as the host country, he continued. A reliable source told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that there is an Algerian wish that the summit introduces the return of Damascus to the League. The source noted that the situation in the Arab world seems ready for this step and that the delay of the summit will serve to mobilize more support to pass this decision. On Feb. 14, the Algerian FM called for ending the membership freezing of Syria. He stressed during a meeting with his Mauritanian counterpart Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed that not activating the membership of Syria is a loss to all members. Aboul Gheit commenced a two-day visit to Algeria within his preparations for the 31st summit.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2156891/arab-league-summit-postponed-amid-corona-fear-dispute-over-syrias-membership
Arab League Summit Postponed Amid Corona Fear, Dispute Over Syria's Membership
Arab World
Cairo - Sawsan Abu Hussein, Mohamed Nabil Helmy
Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit (C), Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohamed al-Hakim (R), and Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi attend an emergency meeting at the Arab League headquarters in the Egyptian capital Cairo. (File photo: AFP)
The 31st Arab Summit planned for the end of March in Algeria may be held before the end of June, in the wake of updates related to 'coronavirus' and the different visions regarding the return of Syria’s membership to the Arab League. Syria’s membership has been suspended since 2011 and the issue of bringing it back to the League surfaced several times, however, officials from the League affirmed that none of the members made a request in this regard. Speaking at a joint press conference on Saturday with Algerian Foreign Minister Sabri Boukadoum, Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit expressed hope that the Arab summit will be held before the end of June. Aboul Gheit attributed the matter to current global developments, especially health conditions that cause concern from meetings and gatherings. We hope these global conditions end before the proposed date, he said. The decision will be taken in coordination with Algeria as the host country, he continued. A reliable source told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that there is an Algerian wish that the summit introduces the return of Damascus to the League. The source noted that the situation in the Arab world seems ready for this step and that the delay of the summit will serve to mobilize more support to pass this decision. On Feb. 14, the Algerian FM called for ending the membership freezing of Syria. He stressed during a meeting with his Mauritanian counterpart Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed that not activating the membership of Syria is a loss to all members. Aboul Gheit commenced a two-day visit to Algeria within his preparations for the 31st summit.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2156886/arab-league-summit-postponed-amid-corona-fear-dispute-over-syrias-membership
David Beckham Hopes MLS Can Challenge European Leagues in Next 10 Years
Sports
London - Bryan Armen Graham
Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham expressed his soaring hopes for Major League Soccer on Wednesday at the league’s kickoff event in midtown Manhattan. Photograph: Carlo Allegri/Reuters
David Beckham expressed his hope that Major League Soccer, which kicks off its 25th season on Saturday, can challenge the supremacy of the European leagues within the next decade. The former England captain was brimming with optimism at the league’s kickoff event on Wednesday in midtown Manhattan, three days before his Inter Miami play their inaugural match at LAFC’s Banc of California Stadium. “When I first moved to LA in 2007, the excitement of playing in a different team, playing in a league that had only been around for not many years, was a challenge and excitement for me,” Beckham said. “To be welcomed the way we got welcomed was incredible. But the league, without a doubt, has gone on to a whole different level from that moment to now.” He added: “Do I think in the next 10 years it will challenge the European leagues? It’s what we all hope for. It’s what we will strive to commit to. ... This should never be a league where players from Europe come to retire. That’s not where you want to be. It’s not where we want to be as owners, it’s not where we want to be as investors.” Jorge Mas, one of Beckham’s four co-owners, was also bullish, saying he believes MLS is positioned to challenge the European titans as soon as 2045. “I think MLS will be one of the top sports leagues in the United States,” Mas said. “I think it will be on par or exceed the best leagues in the world, the Premier League or Serie A or La Liga worldwide. I think that the MLS 25 years from now will be Premier League-ish if we want to call it that on the metrics that leagues are measured by.” It’s been 13 years since Beckham’s surprise move to the LA Galaxy, which included an option of purchasing an expansion MLS franchise at a discounted rate after he retired. What’s followed in the seven years since Beckham ended his playing career can only be described as a rocky gestation, including a protracted struggle over stadium construction, outsized demands from private landowners, the discovery of arsenic contamination at the golf course where the 25,000-seat Miami Freedom Park will be built and, most recently, an ongoing trademark infringement battle with Internazionale, which have claimed the term ‘Inter’ is synonymous with the Serie A club, which also goes by Inter Milan. “I didn’t realize how big a challenge it was going to be,” Beckham said on Wednesday. “Sometimes the hardest things in life are the most difficult to get going, and that’s how I look at this. I know that every moment where I’ve doubted whether it’s going to happen or not, this weekend is our reward for the perseverance, the stubbornness, as my wife calls it, and the tenacity to continue to know that this was the right thing to do.” The addition of Beckham’s Inter Miami and Nashville expands MLS’s membership to 26 clubs for the 2020 season. Austin and Charlotte are in line to join next year with St Louis and Sacramento to be added for the 2022 campaign. MLS commissioner Don Garber said the league remains in contact with Detroit, Las Vegas, Phoenix and San Diego. There are no current plans to expand beyond a 30-team league, but Beckham did address the prospect of a multi-league structure including promotion and relegation down the road. “That’s one thing that I’ve thankfully never experienced, being relegated,” Beckham said. “Luckily, I was always fighting to win leagues and to win championships. But it’s something that I’ve been used to, over the years, being part of leagues where there is a relegation system. It makes it exciting. But when you’re talking about a league that’s only been around for 25 years, there needs to be a real stability in the league before you get to that point.” He added: “I think the fact that we’re at a stage now where there will be more franchises and more teams coming into this league, more stadiums are being built specifically for the game, that’s a great place to be in. Who knows what happens in the future. But we’re excited about what’s happening right now.” Beckham’s long-deferred Miami dream, only days from taking flight, has received one final boost with the addition of Mexican national team star Rodolfo Pizarro on a reported $12m transfer from Monterrey, which has only added to the buzz on the final run-up. “We’re very excited to have a talented young player in the prime of his career playing in our team,” Beckham said. “But we still want to continue to grow this club and grow this team. That’s one thing that I learned from Sir Alex Ferguson: it’s not sometimes all about bringing the biggest names, the biggest players to a club. They have to be the right players. They have to be the right players that fit into our culture, that fit into our team and integrate within the team that we’ve created already. “We feel that we are creating attention for this club globally and that’s what we’re excited about. To be statistically one of the most talked about clubs in football at the moment, without even kicking a football, that’s something that we’re very proud of.” The Guardian Sport
from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2156871/david-beckham-hopes-mls-can-challenge-european-leagues-next-10-years
David Beckham Hopes MLS Can Challenge European Leagues in Next 10 Years
Sports
London - Bryan Armen Graham
Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham expressed his soaring hopes for Major League Soccer on Wednesday at the league’s kickoff event in midtown Manhattan. Photograph: Carlo Allegri/Reuters
David Beckham expressed his hope that Major League Soccer, which kicks off its 25th season on Saturday, can challenge the supremacy of the European leagues within the next decade. The former England captain was brimming with optimism at the league’s kickoff event on Wednesday in midtown Manhattan, three days before his Inter Miami play their inaugural match at LAFC’s Banc of California Stadium. “When I first moved to LA in 2007, the excitement of playing in a different team, playing in a league that had only been around for not many years, was a challenge and excitement for me,” Beckham said. “To be welcomed the way we got welcomed was incredible. But the league, without a doubt, has gone on to a whole different level from that moment to now.” He added: “Do I think in the next 10 years it will challenge the European leagues? It’s what we all hope for. It’s what we will strive to commit to. ... This should never be a league where players from Europe come to retire. That’s not where you want to be. It’s not where we want to be as owners, it’s not where we want to be as investors.” Jorge Mas, one of Beckham’s four co-owners, was also bullish, saying he believes MLS is positioned to challenge the European titans as soon as 2045. “I think MLS will be one of the top sports leagues in the United States,” Mas said. “I think it will be on par or exceed the best leagues in the world, the Premier League or Serie A or La Liga worldwide. I think that the MLS 25 years from now will be Premier League-ish if we want to call it that on the metrics that leagues are measured by.” It’s been 13 years since Beckham’s surprise move to the LA Galaxy, which included an option of purchasing an expansion MLS franchise at a discounted rate after he retired. What’s followed in the seven years since Beckham ended his playing career can only be described as a rocky gestation, including a protracted struggle over stadium construction, outsized demands from private landowners, the discovery of arsenic contamination at the golf course where the 25,000-seat Miami Freedom Park will be built and, most recently, an ongoing trademark infringement battle with Internazionale, which have claimed the term ‘Inter’ is synonymous with the Serie A club, which also goes by Inter Milan. “I didn’t realize how big a challenge it was going to be,” Beckham said on Wednesday. “Sometimes the hardest things in life are the most difficult to get going, and that’s how I look at this. I know that every moment where I’ve doubted whether it’s going to happen or not, this weekend is our reward for the perseverance, the stubbornness, as my wife calls it, and the tenacity to continue to know that this was the right thing to do.” The addition of Beckham’s Inter Miami and Nashville expands MLS’s membership to 26 clubs for the 2020 season. Austin and Charlotte are in line to join next year with St Louis and Sacramento to be added for the 2022 campaign. MLS commissioner Don Garber said the league remains in contact with Detroit, Las Vegas, Phoenix and San Diego. There are no current plans to expand beyond a 30-team league, but Beckham did address the prospect of a multi-league structure including promotion and relegation down the road. “That’s one thing that I’ve thankfully never experienced, being relegated,” Beckham said. “Luckily, I was always fighting to win leagues and to win championships. But it’s something that I’ve been used to, over the years, being part of leagues where there is a relegation system. It makes it exciting. But when you’re talking about a league that’s only been around for 25 years, there needs to be a real stability in the league before you get to that point.” He added: “I think the fact that we’re at a stage now where there will be more franchises and more teams coming into this league, more stadiums are being built specifically for the game, that’s a great place to be in. Who knows what happens in the future. But we’re excited about what’s happening right now.” Beckham’s long-deferred Miami dream, only days from taking flight, has received one final boost with the addition of Mexican national team star Rodolfo Pizarro on a reported $12m transfer from Monterrey, which has only added to the buzz on the final run-up. “We’re very excited to have a talented young player in the prime of his career playing in our team,” Beckham said. “But we still want to continue to grow this club and grow this team. That’s one thing that I learned from Sir Alex Ferguson: it’s not sometimes all about bringing the biggest names, the biggest players to a club. They have to be the right players. They have to be the right players that fit into our culture, that fit into our team and integrate within the team that we’ve created already. “We feel that we are creating attention for this club globally and that’s what we’re excited about. To be statistically one of the most talked about clubs in football at the moment, without even kicking a football, that’s something that we’re very proud of.” The Guardian Sport
from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2156866/david-beckham-hopes-mls-can-challenge-european-leagues-next-10-years
Asharq Al-Awsat
ARCO Praises Saudi Measures to Combat Coronavirus
The General Secretariat of Arab Red Crescent and Red Cross Organization (ARCO) valued the precautionary measures approved by the Saudi government regarding the new Coronavirus. This includes the decision to temporarily stop granting of Umrah, visiting and tourism visas, in order to confront the virus and protect pilgrims and visitors from exchanging infection and transferring it to the holy sites and to the world. Secretary General ARCO Dr. Saleh bin Hamad Al-Tuwaijri stressed that these measures confirm the Kingdom's keenness on the safety of the lives of pilgrims and visitors of the Two Holy Mosques. He also noted the role of the government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the great facilities it provides for pilgrims and Umrah performs.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2156856/arco-praises-saudi-measures-combat-coronavirus
Kuwait Says No New Virus Cases in 24 Hours as Bahrain Bars Public Gatherings
Gulf
Asharq Al-Awsat
Kuwait called on its citizens to avoid traveling over concerns about the spread of the coronavirus. (AFP)
Kuwait called on its citizens to avoid traveling over concerns about the spread of the coronavirus, a health ministry official said at a media conference on Saturday. The Gulf state has not registered any new coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours, she said. The total number of people infected with the disease in Kuwait is 45, while no one has died, the health ministry said on Friday. In Bahrain, the Interior Ministry threatened legal prosecution against travelers who came from Iran and hadn't been tested for the new coronavirus, and also barred public gatherings for two weeks. Bahrain has shut down flights to halt the spread of the virus, which causes the illness named COVID-19 by experts. All of Bahrain's cases link back to Iran, whose death toll of 34 killed is the worst outside of China, the epicenter of the virus. Iran alone has 388 cases of the virus, including top officials, and experts fear that number may be far greater, something Iranian officials themselves have begun to hint. Bahrain's Interior Ministry said in a statement that 2,292 people had come to the kingdom from Iran before the announcement of the outbreak there. Of those, only “310 citizens” had called authorities and undergone testing, the ministry said, raising the possibility of the untested being arrested and charged if they refuse. The ministry "affirmed that the required legal proceedings would be taken against anyone who returned from Iran in February and didn’t call to make appointments for the tests.” “It highlighted that preventing the outbreak of the infection is the responsibility of individuals and society as a whole.” Oman's health ministry said on Saturday a women who had been diagnosed with the disease has recovered. The sultanate said on Thursday the total number of people infected was six. The majority of infections in other Gulf countries were diagnosed in people who had visited Iran or who came into contact with people who had been there.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2155656/kuwait-says-no-new-virus-cases-24-hours-bahrain-bars-public-gatherings
Iran's Virus Toll Rises, Spokesman to Hold News Conference Online
Iran
Asharq Al-Awsat
An Iranian woman wearing a protective mask, to prevent contracting coronavirus, sits in a taxi in Tehran, Iran February 29, 2020.WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Nazanin Tabatabaee via REUTERS
An Iranian Health Ministry spokesman on Saturday said there were nine new coronavirus deaths, raising the toll to 43 people amid 593 confirmed cases in the country. Kianoush Jahanpour urged people to stay away from mass gatherings and limit their travel. "Unfortunately nine people died of the virus in the last 24 hours. The death toll is 43 now. The new confirmed infected cases since yesterday is 205 that makes the total number of confirmed infected people 593," Jahanpur told state TV. Iran has the world’s highest death toll outside of China, the epicenter of the outbreak. Jahanpour also urged people not to attend funerals of the dead, as a mass gathering could help spread the virus. The semi-official Mehr news agency said Saturday that Iran's government spokesman will hold his weekly news conference online. Iran warned on Friday of a "difficult week ahead.” Several countries have announced that they would deny entry to all foreign nationals traveling from Iran. The rapid spread of the coronavirus has fueled fears of a pandemic, with multiple countries reporting their first cases this week as the World Health Organization (WHO) raised its global risk alert to "very high".
from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2155636/irans-virus-toll-rises-spokesman-hold-news-conference-online
Erdogan Calls on Russia to Step aside in Idlib as Turkey Destroys Regime Chemical Facility
Arab World
Asharq Al-Awsat
Turkish-backed Syrian opposition fighters fire heavy artillery guns at regime forces near the town Taftanaz, Idlib province on Friday. (Getty Images)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that he had asked President Vladimir Putin for Russia to step aside in Syria and leave Turkey to deal with Syrian regime forces alone. Speaking in Istanbul, he said he had told Putin in a phone call to stand aside and let Turkey "to do what is necessary" with the regime. He said Turkey does not intend to leave Syria right now. "We did not go there because we were invited by (Syrian regime leader Bashar Assad). We went there because we were invited by the people of Syria. We don't intend to leave before the people of Syria, 'okay, this is done," Erdogan added. He made his remarks after 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in an airstrike by Russian-backed regime forces in the Idlib region on Thursday, the biggest Turkish military loss on the battlefield in recent years. The latest incident has raised further tensions between Ankara and Moscow, whose relationship has been tested by violations of a 2018 deal to prevent a regime offensive on Idlib. As part of the agreement, Ankara set up 12 observation posts in the province but Assad's regime forces -- backed by Russian air power -- have pressed on with a relentless campaign to take back the region. Russia and Turkey have agreed to reduce tensions on the ground in Idlib while continuing military action there, the Russian foreign ministry said on Saturday following several days of talks in Ankara. "Concrete steps to achieve lasting stability in the Idlib de-escalation zone were considered," the ministry said. "Both sides confirmed their goal to reduce tensions 'on the ground' while continuing the fight against terrorists." On Friday, Erdogan spoke by phone with Putin in a bid to scale down the tensions. Erdogan may travel next week to Moscow for talks, according to the Kremlin. After the death of its soldiers in a regime airstrike on Thursday, Turkey said it would allow migrants it hosts to freely pass to Europe. Erdogan said in Istanbul on Saturday that 18,000 migrants has crossed the border, without immediately providing evidence, adding that the number could rise to 25,000-30,000 on Saturday. "We will not close these doors in the coming period and this will continue. Why? The European Union needs to keep its promises. We don't have to take care of this many refugees, to feed them," he said. On the ground, a Turkish official said Saturday that Turkey destroyed a chemical warfare facility after dozens of its soldiers were killed by Syrian regime fire in the last-opposition enclave of Idlib province. The Turkish army destroyed overnight "a chemical warfare facility, located some 13 kilometers south of Aleppo, along with a large number of other regime targets," the senior official told reporters on condition of anonymity, said Reuters. However, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on sources inside the war-torn country, said that Turkey instead hit a military airport in eastern Aleppo, where the monitoring group says there are no chemical weapons. Despite being on opposite ends, Turkey, which backs several opposition groups in Syria, and key regime ally Russia are trying to find a political solution to the Syria conflict.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2155626/erdogan-calls-russia-step-aside-idlib-turkey-destroys-regime-chemical-facility
Hezbollah Members Among those Killed in Syria’s Saraqeb
Arab World
Asharq Al-Awsat
Smoke rises after an airstrike in Saraqeb in Idlib province, Syria February 28, 2020. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
Turkish ground and air strikes on Syrian regime forces and their allies in northwest Syria's Idlib have killed 48 pro-Damascus soldiers, including Hezbollah members, in the past 24 hours, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Saturday. Among those killed in the strategic eastern Idlib city of Saraqeb are 12 members of Lebanon’s Hezbollah and two of its commanders, the Observatory said. But a commander in the regional alliance backing the head of the Syrian regime, Bashar al-Assad, said that the Turkish strikes on northwest Syria late on Friday killed nine Hezbollah members and wounded 30 others. He said on Saturday that the strikes targeted Hezbollah headquarters near Saraqeb, using smart missiles and drones. According to the monitor, Syrian regime and Russian warplanes continued airstrikes on Saturday on Saraqeb, a focal point of intensified fighting in recent days between Turkish-backed fighters and Damascus. The opposition fighters retook the city from government forces Thursday, cutting off a key highway just days after the regime reopened it for the first time since 2012.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2155606/hezbollah-members-among-those-killed-syria%E2%80%99s-saraqeb
Saudi Arabia Urges Citizens to Postpone Lebanon Travel over Coronavirus
Gulf
Asharq Al-Awsat
People wearing face masks walk outside Rafik Hariri hospital, where Lebanon's first coronavirus case is being quarantined, in Beirut, Lebanon February 21, 2020. (Reuters)
Saudi Arabia called on its citizens and residents to postpone travel to Lebanon over concerns of the spread of coronavirus, the Saudi embassy in Lebanon said on Twitter on Saturday. On Friday, the Kingdom temporarily suspended entry of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) citizens to Makkah and Madinah. A foreign ministry statement said it will exclude from that decision the citizens of the GCC who had been in Saudi Arabia for more than 14 continuous days and did not show any symptoms of the new coronavirus (COVID-19). Lebanon’s Education Ministry on Friday announced the closure of all schools until March 8 as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus. The announcement came as the country’s fourth case of the virus, affecting a Syrian national quarantined at a Beirut hospital, was confirmed in a statement from the hospital. Lebanon’s first three coronavirus cases were linked to passengers arriving on flights from Iran, which has seen the highest number of deaths from the virus outside China. Lebanon has since halted flights for non-residents from countries with coronavirus outbreaks, including China, Iran, Italy and South Korea, the transport ministry said on Friday.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2155586/saudi-arabia-urges-citizens-postpone-lebanon-travel-over-coronavirus
Tunisia’s New Cabinet Takes Office with Plans to Revive the Economy
Arab World
Tunis - Mongi Saidani
Tunisia’s New Cabinet Takes Office with Plans to Revive the Economy
Tunisian Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh officially assumed his mission on Friday as he plans to tackle urgent economic and social problems, such as unemployment. Fakhfakh took over from ex-PM Youssef Chahed at a ceremony held at Dar Dhiafa in Carthage in the presence of the new ministers, Parliament Speaker Rached Ghannouchi and the representatives of national associations and political parties. Tunisia's new government was sworn on Thursday after winning a parliamentary confidence vote that broke four months of deadlock. Thirty ministers and two secretaries of state were sworn-in by President Kais Saied over a month after Fakhfakh was designated premier. In his speech at Friday’s handover ceremony, Chahed lauded the peaceful transition of power and the democratic atmosphere prevailing in Tunisia. “We should join hands to overcome the economically and socially difficult situation,” he said. Chahed said he was leaving his position with a “guilt-free conscience after having served the country.” He stressed, however, that some parties had launched campaigns to tarnish his image because he had fought corruption. “The country will not move forward without reforms, and when reforms begin, each party concerned will resist and say no. After that, everyone will ask ‘where are the reforms’,” Chahed told Fakhfakh. However, “the fight against corruption is necessary,” he said. Fakhfakh, in his turn, urged Tunisians to support the country’s political stability, and called for cooperation to salvage Tunisia. According to several observers, the new government should tackle unemployment, bring in investments and revive the economy.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2155561/tunisia%E2%80%99s-new-cabinet-takes-office-plans-revive-economy
SIDF Stimulates Small Businesses, Entrepreneurships
Business
Riyadh - Shujaa al-Bogmi
Saudi Arabia supports small and medium businesses and entrepreneurships. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Saudi Industrial and Development Fund (SIDF) has been seeking to stimulate small and medium enterprises by financing projects in the manufacturing sector within Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. In order to promote the industrial sector and provide it with its financial needs, the SIDF has provided a package of innovative specialized financing programs with many payment facilities. The Fund adopted “Mutajadida” (renewable) program, which aims to achieve national aspirations in this field by building sustainable industrial utilities for renewable energy, stimulating production projects to serve the industrial, commercial and agricultural sectors, and raising the quality of products specialized in solar and wind energy, and aligning them with local and global demand. The SIDF has also launched the “Afaaq” (Horizons) program, which contributes to the growth and motivation of small and medium enterprises and entrepreneurs through early financing with payment facilities. Another program, called “Tawtin” (nationalization), seeks to raise the level of spending to maximize local content by supporting existing national products. The Saudi Industrial Development Fund is the main financial supporter of the sectors of industry, mining, energy and logistic services listed under the National Industry and Logistics Services Development Program (NDLP). This will support Saudi Arabia’s transformation into a major industrial power, and a global logistical platform, as one of the most important targets of Vision 2030. The Fund has approved loans worth SAR 12.5 billion riyals (USD 3.3 billion) during the 2019 fiscal year, with an increase of 32 percent compared to 2018.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2155541/sidf-stimulates-small-businesses-entrepreneurships
Lebanese Cabinet Pledges Not to Become Part of ‘Policy of Axis’
Arab World
Beirut - Asharq Al-Awsat
President Michel Aoun chairs a cabinet meeting at the Baabda palace on Friday. (Dalati & Nohra)
The Lebanese cabinet announced on Friday that it refuses to become a part of the “policy of axis”, pledging to keep the country away from foreign conflicts. “We will not become part of the policy of axis because Lebanon has decided to dissociate itself from them. However, we will always stand by our brotherly Arab states the same way they always support Lebanon,” the government said. The cabinet also underscored its “independence”, saying it will not become embroiled in political disputes. “We say it loud, our work is not political. We do not want to become part of any political dispute with any party, but we seek to work as one team without eliminating the right of any minister to express his opinion or to object to any decision at the cabinet table,” it said. The cabinet convened on Friday for a session chaired by President Michel Aoun at the Baabda presidential palace. It announced it would resume discussing urgent grade one appointments approved in 2010 after some amendments are introduced by a committee that is expected to be formed for completing this task. Commenting on the appointments, Information Minister Manal Abdel Samad said it was necessary to adopt a clear and transparent mechanism, independently of all parties. “Efficiency should be the only criterion," she told reporters after the meeting. Asked whether Prime Minister Hassan Diab is planning on embarking on a tour of Arab countries, she replied: “Currently, we are focusing on solving the financial crisis. But, of course, when resolving this issue, the government will seek to cooperate with Arab states to help Lebanon. We know that the Arabs have never abandoned us and will never abandon us.” Separately, head of the Lebanese Forces party, Samir Geagea called on the government Friday to implement a comprehensive reform plan "because the people and the international and Arab communities must regain the minimum level of confidence in the state."
from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2155496/lebanese-cabinet-pledges-not-become-part-%E2%80%98policy-axis%E2%80%99
Asharq Al-Awsat
The entrance to the Iraqi parliament. AFP file photo
Iraq's parliament postponed a vote of confidence in prime minister-designate Mohammad Allawi's government for a second time Saturday, as wrangling among rival blocs continued ahead of a looming deadline. Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi said that the crunch vote, which had already been delayed last week for lack of a quorum, would now be held on Sunday. Midnight Sunday is the deadline for lawmakers to end the political vacuum and agree on a new government or see President Barham Salih designate a premier unilaterally. Failure to go ahead with the vote could also trigger a call for mass protests from cleric Moqtada Sadr, whose supporters form the largest bloc in parliament and who has demanded that lawmakers approve Allawi's government. Allawi is struggling to secure support from the country's Sunnis and Kurds. Iraq has been without a government since Allawi's predecessor Adel Abdel Mahdi quit under pressure from the street two months ago. Demonstrators have already rejected the choice of Allawi for premier, saying he is too close to the confessional political system they have rallied against for months.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2155476/iraq-parliament-postpones-confidence-vote-again
Lebanon: Experts Call for Selling Part of Gold Reserves to Restructure Economy
Business
Beirut - Paula Astih
FILE PHOTO: Gold bullion is displayed at Hatton Garden Metals precious metal dealers in London, Britain July 21, 2015. REUTERS/Neil Hall/File Photo
With the deterioration of economic conditions to unprecedented levels, Lebanese officials are looking into the possibility to rescheduling the public debt and to set up plans with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to revitalize the economy. Attention is also turning to the country’s gold reserves, which have so far been regarded as a red line and the sole guarantee for the stability of the local currency against the US dollar. A few years ago, talks about selling gold reserves to pay part of the public debt constituted a taboo. Today, economic and financial experts are proposing it to stop a financial collapse. The president of Information International - a Beirut-based research and statistics company – said: “It is time to think about using gold to restructure the economy, protect people and preserve our sovereignty, provided that we do not waste it to pay the debt or to finance squandering; it should be part of a comprehensive plan.” “Why don’t we start with gold in New York?”, referring to some part of Lebanon’s gold reserves in the United States. Ghassan Ayyash, former deputy governor of the central bank pointed out that for a long time, gold reserves were seen as a guarantee of the Lebanese pound and its stability. “This was true when the size of gold was proportional to the size of the monetary mass and the existing GDP, and when the global monetary system was based on gold coverage of currencies,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat. He continued: “As the size of the monetary mass has swelled and the coverage in gold has become insufficient, there is no doubt that the gold reserve is no longer a guarantee for the currency peg.” Ayyash noted that selling a portion of it, after a large part of the reserves in foreign currencies was wasted, “might partly help rebuild the cash reserve of the central bank, which was used to finance the trade balance and the demand for foreign currencies.” “If we sell a portion of gold for about $7 billion within a comprehensive reform program, this may be part of the solution, even if we still need banks,” he remarked. Ironically, Lebanon, which tops the list of indebted countries in the world in proportion to its GDP after Japan, is among the first twenty states worldwide that possess the largest reserves of gold, about 286.6 tons of gold valued at $16 billion. Lebanon began collecting gold a few years after the independence in 1943 until 1971. With the outbreak of the civil war in 1975, Lebanon transferred to the US State of Kentucky part of its gold reserves to protect it, as many other countries did.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2155441/lebanon-experts-call-selling-part-gold-reserves-restructure-economy
Saudi Arabia Evacuates 7 Citizens from South Korea’s Daegu over Coronavirus Outbreak
Gulf
Jeddah – Ibrahim al-Qurashi
Employees from a disinfection service company sanitize a traditional market in Seoul, South Korea, February 26, 2020. (Reuters)
Saudi Arabia began on Friday evacuating its citizens from South Korea’s Daegu city, which has emerged as a main cluster for the spread of the new coronavirus. Saudi Ambassador to South Korea Riyadh al-Mubaraki said seven citizens will be evacuated from the city. Six of the evacuees are students and the seventh is an individual visiting one of them. They are set to arrive in the Kingdom on Saturday, the envoy told Asharq Al-Awsat. Two Saudi students have opted to remain in South Korea. Mubaraki explained that the evacuations from Daegu are voluntary, revealing that some 300 Saudi students are studying in South Korea. Some 1,000 Saudis are present in the country, including members of the Kingdom’s diplomatic mission and their families. Some 250 Saudi Aramco employees are present in South Korea. Contacts are ongoing with Saudis to ensure their safety, he stressed. He urged them to exercise caution, follow prevention measures and avoid public gatherings. The Saudi embassy is at their disposal for evacuation and any assistance, he said.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2155421/saudi-arabia-evacuates-7-citizens-south-korea%E2%80%99s-daegu-over-coronavirus-outbreak
Mike Dean Lays Cards on Table to Give Peter Crouch a Referee's Insight
Sports
London - Barry Glendenning
Referee Mike Dean. (Getty Images)
A man who seems so laid back he could probably serve as a draught excluder at the gates of Winterfell Castle, it spoke volumes that after a senior career spanning 19 years, it wasn’t until seven months into Peter Crouch’s retirement from professional football that the scales blinding him from the truth about referees finally fell from his eyes. A recent conversation with Mike Dean convinced the veteran of more than 600 games to realize that referees are human just like the rest of us, rather than unthinking, emotionless, card-brandishing cybernetic androids who simply materialize, fully formed like some sort of buzz-killing fun-assassins dispatched Terminator-style from the future. A man who does not so much polarize opinion among football fans of various teams as pull off the impressive feat of completely uniting it, Dean once found himself the subject of an unsuccessful petition signed by more than 100,000 Arsenal fans calling for him to be forbidden from refereeing any more of their team’s games. Renowned for his showmanship, occasional pomposity and apparent desire to be the center of attention in any match he is tasked with officiating, he has for some time now been the best known and most unpopular of England’s top-flight refs. It wasn’t ever thus, however. As an overweight, teenage couch potato on the Wirral in the mid-80s, Dean decided to take up the whistle, cards and notebook in an effort to shed some excess weight. Working his way through the ranks while holding down a full-time job as a mass-executioner of chickens in a processing plant, he swapped fowls for fouls on a full-time basis after 16 years. He has since gone on to become one of the most disrespected match officials in the country, the prevailing opinion of football fans being that he is truly terrible at his very difficult job. He isn’t, of course, but that’s beside the point. Despite the occasional high-profile rick, the very nature of refereeing suggests you don’t become as well known and reviled as Dean has over the years without doing plenty right. “I’m sort of seeing the person behind the ref, y’know,” said Crouch to his co-presenters following Dean’s guest appearance on the most recent episode of the BBC’s That Peter Crouch Podcast. “I never really thought about what he did. In 1985 he started his referee’s journey when I was four years old and he’s still reffing at the highest level now, at 51. You have to give him some kudos for that. I never thought of the journey, or how he’d got there and I’m a little bit ashamed of that, honestly.” Given the infrequency of public utterances from match officials, getting Dean to appear on his podcast was quite the coup for Crouch and his backroom team even if one could be forgiven for suspecting their guest didn’t take much persuading. Premier League referees are currently forbidden from speaking to the media immediately after games, on the grounds that their boss, Mike Riley, head of the Professional Game Match Officials Ltd, believes they could be too emotionally involved in “what they’ve just been through” and might say something ill-advised. In a world where Dean’s colleague Jon Moss recently came under fire for mildly mocking Bournemouth’s Dan Gosling, it is difficult to imagine the more garrulous Dean being reluctant to pass up the opportunity to grab the microphone firmly with both hands to explain himself in the wake of a contentious match. He certainly wasn’t backwards in coming forwards with his opinions on That Peter Crouch Podcast, although the convivial, laid-back tone of the show meant he was unlikely to be subjected to a particularly tough grilling. Having originated as a vehicle for its likable star to provide his unique and amusing insights into life as a professional footballer, the show’s decision to provide a working referee with the opportunity to lift the lid on his day-to-day life proved something of a masterstroke. Invited to demonstrate he is not the show-stealer bloated with self-regard many perceive him to be, Dean did not exactly go out of his way to disabuse listeners of any such notions. “There’s a touch of arrogance about me when I walk out on the pitch; I know there is,” he said. “But it’s also a lot of confidence in myself because I believe in my own ability.” Moments previously, having explained that the passing of time means he is no longer able to run as far or as fast as he used to, Dean had explained “without being big-headed” that he can “make decisions from 30 yards away and the players turn around and because it’s me I’ll get away with it”. Despite his high opinion of himself, Dean did come across as being extremely likable, good naturedly detailing – among other vicissitudes of the job – the tedium of constantly being “booked” by beermat-brandishing pub-goers when trying to enjoy a night out with the wife. As Tranmere’s most famous fan, he made headlines last May when footage emerged of him ostentatiously cheerleading in the away end at Forest Green after his side secured their place in the League Two play-off final. For all his grumbling about lack of originality, one suspects he will be even more forlorn when the beermat-waving stops. In recent years it has become fairly customary for many live-match broadcasters to have a former whistle blower on hand to explain contentious decisions, albeit cloistered alone in what looks like a cupboard all the better to emphasize their pariah status. Fitness permitting, Dean hopes to put next season behind him before retiring but revealed his dread at the prospect of no longer being able to do his job. “God knows what I’ll do when I can’t referee again,” he told Crouch and his cohorts, although – like the man on whose podcast he guested – it’s difficult to imagine a man of his high profile remaining sidelined for very long. The Guardian Sport
from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2155416/mike-dean-lays-cards-table-give-peter-crouch-referees-insight
Griffiths: No Alternative to Negotiated Solution, All Parties Should Offer Compromises
Arab World
London - Asharq Al-Awsat
UN envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths. AFP file photo
UN Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths stressed on Friday that there is no alternative to a negotiated solution in the war-torn country, calling on all Yemeni sides to offer compromises. At a two-day consultative meeting with Yemeni public and political figures in Amman, Griffiths said: “This conflict has already claimed too many victims, and it threatens the collapse of the state and the disintegration of the social fabric.” “Every day that we together lose, translates into immeasurable more effort, time and resources that will be required to rebuild the institutions and infrastructure necessary for a return to civility and a dignified life for the people of Yemen.” He warned that Yemen could reach a crossroads if no compromises and restraint are made at the military level. "Yemen is now at a crossroads, either agreeing on a comprehensive mechanism to reduce escalation and resume the political process, or enter a new phase of greater escalation,” said Griffiths. The UN envoy raised deep concerns about the recent escalations east of Sanaa, which he said might threaten the peace process. He also warned that warring parties have no time to waste, adding that there is no alternative to the political solution that is reached through negotiations. “The price paid by Yemenis in this war is very high. Yemenis deserve a better life. Their leaders should answer such demands for peace immediately,” he said. The envoy said that despite the military escalation in several Yemeni areas, there is still hope for building trust between the two sides. He said the frontlines, which had been quiet for several months, have been drawn into the escalation with reports of airstrikes and cross-border aerial attacks considerably increasing. “Last week, as you know, the parties came together here in Amman to implement the first official, large-scale exchange of prisoners, a crucial step toward implementing the Stockholm Agreement and intriguingly the meeting that was held last week was twelve months, a full twelve months later since the one took place before, so the progress on that file has not been rapid,” said Griffiths. He stressed the need to resume negotiations without pre-conditions.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2155391/griffiths-no-alternative-negotiated-solution-all-parties-should-offer
Where Did it All Go Wrong for Deportivo La Coruña?
Sports
Madrid - Euan McTear
Deportivo have suffered a long decline since the early 2000s, when Diego Tristán led the line with Roy Makaay. (EPA)
“It’s like we’re a meme,” said one frustrated Deportivo La Coruña fan on TV after their 3-1 defeat at home to Real Zaragoza in December – a result that left Depor bottom of the second division with just 12 points from their first 19 games. He simply could not take it anymore. “Each week it’s getting worse and worse.” Twenty years after Depor fulfilled a dream by winning La Liga, they were 41 positions lower in the Spanish footballing pyramid and drifting towards disaster. The story of Deportivo La Coruña’s recent history begins with a moment of ultimate joy and becomes gradually more dispiriting. The peak was on May 19, 2000. The club from Galicia in the northwest of Spain were top of the table going into the final day of the season. They were three points clear of Barcelona and only needed to draw at home to Espanyol – whose fans would happily welcome a title slipping through Barça’s grasp – to win their first ever league championship. It seemed simple, but Depor fans were not getting carried away. Just a few years earlier, in the 1993-94 campaign, they had thrown away the title on the final day – with Barcelona benefiting. That day, Depor only needed to beat Valencia at home to guarantee top spot – and they were even awarded a penalty in injury time. Donato had been subbed off and Bebeto was too nervous to take it, which left Miroslav Dukic with the responsibility. The whole season came down to one kick from 12 yards. His tame effort was easily saved and Valencia – whose players, it later turned out, had received a bonus from Barcelona – held on for a goalless draw, breaking every heart at the Estadio Riazor. So, nobody was taking anything for granted on the final day of the 1999-00 season. This title had to be won on the pitch. And that’s what Depor did. Goals from Donato and Roy Makaay gave Depor a 2-0 victory and secured the first league title in their history. That was the highest of highs, but “Super Depor”, as they became known, had other wonderful moments too. They followed up their league title by winning the Spanish Super Cup later that year. They won the Super Cup again in 2002, this time after they had beaten Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final at the Bernabéu. Real Madrid were celebrating their centenary that season, which gave the Depor fans the opportunity to sing “happy birthday to you” to the home fans as they lifted the cup. Spool forward to this season and those same fans were chanting “out with the board” to their own directors. So, what happened? The decline was gradual at first. After winning the title, they finished second for the next two seasons and then third the two seasons after that, qualifying for the Champions League each year and reaching the semi-finals in 2003-04. They only missed out on the final after losing 1-0 to Porto over two legs in a tie decided by a penalty kick. Depor fell to eighth in the 2004-05 season. The methods of Javier Irureta – the coach who had guided the team to the title and all their other successes – were growing stale, something the squad even admitted before he left in the summer of 2005. Depor could no longer invest in the transfer market in the same way. Some of their great players stayed, but most left. The squad just wasn’t the same. Like a small duvet, it was either lacking up top or at the bottom. The money tap had been turned off by the club’s charismatic president, Augusto César Lendoiro, who had been in charge since the late 1980s. After initially spending ambitiously on players such as Bebeto and Rivaldo, and then on the stars who took the club to the title, debts began to mount and the idea of superstars lining up at the Estadio Riazor was consigned to the realms of fantasy. At a press conference in 2009, the club’s manager at the time, Miguel Ángel Lotina, even jokingly revealed his line-up for the weekend’s match to journalists, naming long gone Super Depor legends such as Djalminha, Donato, Makaay and Diego Tristán. The glory days had well and truly passed into the “remember when…” stage. Then came the relegations. First in 2011, then again in 2013. These setbacks strangled the club’s finances further – even if they did bounce back with immediate promotions on each occasion. The club’s debts hit €156m in 2013. Administration duly followed and the president was forced out. When the administrators published their report into the club’s finances in March 2013, it was pretty damning. “The real causes of Deportivo’s insolvency lie in the fact of having maintained a mode of management disconnected from reality, taking on debts and investments for amounts absolutely outside of the economic means of the company.” The administrators slammed the club’s “reckless and misguided business model” and successfully brought about Lendoiro’s resignation, which was announced on Christmas Eve of 2013. At first, it looked as if there was light at the end of the tunnel. The club were promoted back to the top flight in 2014 and managed to stay up for the next four seasons. By that point, new president Tino Fernández had halved the club’s debts and worked hard to restore the club’s reputation. Off the pitch, Fernández’s presidency was proving to be a success. On it, results were so-so and he chewed through nine coaches during his five years in charge. Depor were avoiding relegation, but they were clinging on by the skin of their teeth. Things looked fairly desperate in the middle of the 2017-18 season, so they appointed Clarence Seedorf. It didn’t work. Seedorf led the team to just two wins in his 16 matches and the club went down. Their third relegation in seven years was confirmed in April 2018 after a 4-2 defeat to Barcelona, who were crowned champions on the same day. Deportivo had bounced back from their two previous relegations immediately, but they could not repeat the trick last season. They reached the promotion play-offs and made it to the final, but were narrowly beaten by Real Mallorca 3-2 on aggregate. All the while, there was chaos in the boardroom. Paco Zas replaced Tino Fernández as president but he did not even have time to find a family photo for his desk. Toño Armenteros had an even shorter spell in charge before current president Fernando Vidal won the boardroom game of thrones. Suffering through all of this were the fans. Another relegation would be disastrous. In Spain, the third tier is made up of 80 clubs who are split into four groups, meaning that the quality varies wildly. Were Depor to fall down, they would be visiting some clubs who are not even in the top 100 of Spain’s footballing pyramid. For a while this seemed more inevitable than salvageable. From the middle of October until the end of the year, Depor sat dead last in the table. They are one of only five clubs who have been crowned champions of Spain in the past two decades, yet they were languishing at the foot of country’s professional leagues. Now, though, something special is happening. Fernando Vázquez, who became the club’s third coach this season when he took over just after Christmas, has started to turn things around. Deportivo had only won two of their 22 matches before Vázquez arrived. They won his first six in charge. Numancia, Racing Santander, Cádiz, Albacete, Las Palmas and Alcorcón were all checked off and defeated: 18 points from 18. You can already hear documentary makers looking out Gold by Spandau Ballet for the montage. There is still a long way to go and survival is not yet secured. Their winning run came to an end against Girona on Valentine’s Day and Vázquez suffered his first defeat as manager against Real Zaragoza on Sunday afternoon. Depor are now two points above the relegation zone. The happy ending their fans crave is still beyond the horizon but, if the club are still a meme, then maybe now it’s the one of “success kid”, with his fist clenched in determination. Football fans across Spain are not laughing at Depor now. Instead, the country is watching on in fascination, eager to see if they can finish the season in style – like they did 20 years ago. The Guardian Sport
from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2155371/where-did-it-all-go-wrong-deportivo-la-coru%C3%B1a
Salame Fears Libya’s Battles Could Turn into ‘Regional War’
Arab World
Cairo - Jamal Jawhar
FILE PHOTO: UN Envoy for Libya, Ghassan Salame holds a news briefing after a meeting of the 5+5 Libyan Joint Military Commission in Geneva, Switzerland, February 6, 2020. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
The UN envoy for Libya has defended his mission against criticism and warned that the country’s crisis could turn into a "regional war." “This is not true,” said Ghassan Salame on Friday when asked about accusations that the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has intervened in determining the names of the representatives in the commission that is holding talks in Geneva. UNSMIL has come under attack by almost all political parties in eastern and western Libya for allegedly choosing the members of the two rival parliaments to attend the Geneva talks. “There was one single mechanism that was applied to both parties – both the party that belongs to Tripoli and the one that belongs to Tobruk. That mechanism depended on the fact that members of each electoral district would meet, together in a special place, and vote for the representatives in the commission,” he said. “That happened in the Higher State Council with the presence of four representatives of UNSMIL. They were present there to make sure that no exclusion whatsoever would happen. The same thing happened in the House of Representatives. Therefore all 13 districts, with their freedom, chose their representatives here in Geneva,” said Salame. “The country, in the past 24 hours, has witnessed a very serious violation of the truce,” he told reporters. “In fact, it could have been almost the breakdown of that truce.” “The Libyans keep asking me don’t waste any time,” he said, adding he was planning to continue talks next month. Salame lauded the personalities who remained in Geneva to attend the talks. “I would like to say that, in particular, the women who we had invited decided to stay, probably because they are more sensible to the fact that no time should be wasted.” He said a number of countries have been intervening in Libya’s war, and that he didn’t get enough support from the UN Security Council members. “I need much more support,” he stressed.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2155336/salame-fears-libya%E2%80%99s-battles-could-turn-%E2%80%98regional-war%E2%80%99
Tel Aviv - Asharq Al-Awsat
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talks with US Ambassador David Friedman during his visit to the Ariel settlement, West Bank, Feb. 24, 2020. (Reuters)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Friday that he would go ahead with annexing West Bank, Jordan Valley and north of the Red Sea settlements in line with the so-called “deal of the century” should he win the upcoming parliamentary elections. “I won’t be concerned with the threats by Jordan and the Palestinian Authority,” he said in comments published Friday by the Makor Rishon newspaper. He explained that promises to build thousands of additional new homes in Judea and Samaria, in addition to the 3,500 new settler homes in the “E1” area of the central occupied West Bank prove that he does not care about the Palestinian and Jordanian threats to annul the peace deal with Israel. “We are talking about fateful decisions, which we executed despite all the threats. We have also approved housing plans in the Sha'ar HaShomron settlement, a step which proves that big changes are happening here,” the PM said. Netanyahu added: “Let us be clear, the administration of US President Donald Trump has asked us to take one pack of decisions in the Judea and Samaria, where we plan to impose our sovereignty. They (Americans) would immediately acknowledge this imposition, which requires several weeks of work and maybe one or two months for the joint team.” The PM said he recently met in the Ariel settlement with US members of a committee formed to map out areas of the West Bank that Israel plans to annex. “Joint work has started extensively and we are talking about a large area with a border of 800 kilometers. When we finish building this area, the annexation should be achieved on one condition: that I remain Prime Minister,” he said.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2155331/netanyahu-says-annexation-expected-2-months-dismisses-jordan-palestinian
