The head of Tunisia's constitution committee blasted a proposed constitution published by President Kais Saied, local media reported on Sunday, reinforcing opposition fears that Saied was seeking to impose a unilateral charter. Sadok Belaid, a former constitutional law professor was named by Saied to draft a "new constitution for a new republic", said Saied's version was dangerous and did not resemble the first draft proposed by the constitution committee, the Assabeh newspaper said. According to Reuters, Belaid said the draft constitution published by the president contains chapters that could pave the way for "a disgraceful dictatorial regime". The president has not commented on the constitution since he published the text on Thursday in Tunisia's official gazette. The constitution, which would give Saied near-absolute powers, will be put to a referendum this month. His proposal would dilute the roles of the parliament and judiciary, prompting accusations he is undoing democratic gains that Tunisians won in a 2011 revolution. Saied seized most powers last year, brushing aside the 2014 democratic constitution and dismissing the elected parliament to say he would rule by decree while he remakes the political system. A chapter of the proposed constitution includes the phrase, "In case of the imminent danger, the president can extend his term." Belaid said this would "pave the way for a disgraceful dictatorship". Saied last year used an "imminent danger" clause in the current constitution to dismiss the government and control executive powers, establishing one-man rule. His proposed constitution would create a Council of Regions as a second chamber of parliament but gives no details on how it would be elected or what powers it would have. Belaid said the president's proposal to limit membership of the Constitutional Court to judges named by the president would undermine its independence.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3737431/tunisian-constitution-panel-head-blasts-saieds-draft
Najib Saab
Najib Saab - Secretary-General of the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) and editor-in-chief of Environment & Development magazine
As in politics and economics, so in environment and climate; it is compromises that allow for reaching major agreements, where facts are intertwined, interests are diverged and options are conflicting. Compromises are not a defect, as no one is the sole possessor of the truth in these complex issues. Probably the initiative most expressive of the world’s recognition of the necessity of negotiating environmental issues in order to reach acceptable compromises is the Earth Negotiations Bulletin, which monitors international meetings on environment, development and climate on daily basis. Since its launch at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, this publication has become the most important reference for documenting the positions of countries and organizations in negotiation meetings, based on reports prepared by independent correspondents attending the discussions. The bulletin is issued by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), a non-governmental organization founded in Canada in 1988. The bulletin’s name reflects the reality facing environmental and development issues, as what the world needs to save this endangered planet is nothing less than serious and honest negotiations for Earth’s sake. Compromises accompanied international environmental action since its early days at the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment in 1972. But they emerged strongly for the first time in the negotiations to protect the ozone layer, which began in 1982, and whose results were for years limited to general understandings about the need to reduce emissions of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that deplete the ozone layer. However, scientific research during subsequent years found that reducing the use of these harmful substances is not enough, as it must be stopped completely and fast. Scientists suggested the year 2000 as a date for complete abolition of CFCs. But when negotiators failed to reach an agreement, a compromise was reached in 1987 to reduce production and use by half in 2000, and to give developing countries a grace period as well as technical and financial assistance to enable them to comply. With the success in implementing the provisions of the agreement being achieved faster than expected, member states later decided to bring forward the date of the total moratorium on ozone-depleting substances, not just 50 percent, to 1997. The world succeeded in implementing this goal. When Mostafa Kamal Tolba, then Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), who was running the negotiations in 1987, reversed his initial position on completely ending production and use of ozone-depleting substances by the year 2000, some accused him of betraying the environmental cause. At the forefront of the attackers were non-governmental organizations, led by Greenpeace. To this, Tolba famously replied: “If we want to protect the environment, let us start with one step, and more steps can follow. What cannot be realized in full should not be totally abandoned.” Developments over the course of the few coming years proved that Mostafa Tolba had not betrayed the cause, he simply was more realistic, which paved the way for unprecedented success. This does not mean at all giving up scientific facts and keeping silent about environmental crimes. Criminals who wreak havoc on the environment and nature must pay the full price, according to strict laws, whether it is related to polluting land, water and air, or depleting and wasting natural resources. While this type of crime should be outside the scope of compromises, complex issues, such as climate and the ozone, involve manifold aspects that affect each other, demanding solutions based on delicate balance between many options. Things are not always black & white, as the interim solution sometimes may be grey. There are hard scientific facts that should not be bargained with. However, it may be necessary to subject the implementation plan to analysis that takes into account all the implications, leading to a phased plan on this basis. The hasty end of fossil fuels, for example, is not in the interest of the environment, if it occurs before providing alternatives, as it might lead to harmful consequences, such as deforestation caused by cutting forests in search of firewood for cooking and heating in poor countries. A few days ago, I reminded Fouad Hamdan, a prominent global environment activist, currently working with German organizations on human rights and nature, of a conversation we had back in 1999, when he was leading Greenpeace campaigns in Beirut. At that time, Greenpeace activists were beaten by security guards when they stormed a polluting factory, and stopped its work for some hours. While most of the information they gave about pollution levels and types of pollutants was correct, one piece of data was wrong, a shortfall which was highlighted by the polluters. My advice was that environmental organizations should always adopt accurate scientific data in all their statements, because making one small mistake gives polluters an excuse to question all the other facts. My opinion at the time was that the activists did their duty by protesting, while the security guards did their job when they prevented them. Confrontation, within limits, is useful for environmental action, and if the police had not beaten the demonstrators with batons to prevent them from storming the factory, the media would not have paid attention to the issue and put it on front pages and in the headlines of news bulletins. I also conveyed to Fouad Hamdan what Dr. Mostafa Tolba had confided to me while working on his memoirs in 2015: Tolba considered that the protests staged by environmental organizations, at the forefront of which was Greenpeace, and even accusing him of betraying the environmental cause when he accepted an interim settlement on the ozone issue, strengthened his position and gave him support to reach, after a few years, better terms than what Greenpeace considered to have been waived. In such a type of negotiation, the secret is to choose what to take and what to leave, in order to make a step forward towards achieving the ultimate goal at the earliest opportunity. Here, I reveal another secret: when environmental activists stormed a conference of the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) to confront the head of an organization concerned with international development, who was among the speakers, demanding greater attention to environmental issues and clean and renewable energies, my response, as Secretary-General of the host organization, was to expel the protesters from the hall. I remember that the head of the organization at which the protest was directed told me: “They did their duty as you have done yours.” He also asked for footage documenting the protest, because, as he said, those would help him convey the message of the protestors, reflecting change in public opinion, to member governments, “in order to facilitate better understanding leading to compromises.” I mentioned ‘compromises’ in an article I wrote recently on the fiftieth anniversary of the Stockholm Conference on the Environment, to which a journalist friend replied that “had it not been for compromises, disasters would not have increased.” Thanks to him for inciting me to write this article, to make it clear that the right compromises may lead not only to preventing disasters and achieving goals in the medium run, but sometimes to strengthening goals and accelerating timelines, as was the case regarding the ozone agreement. This needs negotiators skilled in diplomacy, who can base their arguments on science and support their position by law. Najib Saab is Secretary General of the Arab Forum for Environment and Development- AFED (www.afedonline.org) and Editor-in-Chief of Environment & Development magazine (www.afedmag.com).
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3737421/najib-saab/compromises-make-agreements
Illegal Migration from Northern Lebanon to European Shores on the Rise
Features
Beirut - Paula Astih
Lebanese soldiers search for survivors of a migrant boat sinking off the coast of the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, Lebanon, 25 April 2022. (EPA)
Illegal migration is on the rise from northern Lebanon towards European shores. The capsizing of a migrant boat off the impoverished northern city of Tripoli on April 23 has not deterred people from embarking on the dangerous journey. Around 40 people were killed in the tragedy, the latest to strike Lebanon that is struggling with unprecedented economic and living crises. Army and naval units entered the al-Abdeh-Akkar port in northern Lebanon on Friday, seizing a boat that was suspected to have been prepared to transport migrants illegally. Two days ago, the army said it arrested a citizen in the al-Beddawi region for preparing an illegal migrant sea operation. It said it seized a Kalashnikov rifle, 4,000 liters of diesel fuel, 100 life jackets, 46 buoys and two air pumps in his possession. Activist Omar Ibrahim said the boat sinking in April has not deterred illegal migration. Two smuggling attempts were thwarted just two days ago, he told Asharq Al-Awsat. “We no longer know about the departure of Lebanese boats until they have reached their destination in Europe,” he said. As for the Syrian migrants, he revealed that “no one knows their numbers or the number of boats that are taking them away from northern Lebanon. No doubt the figures are high.” Moreover, he said that around a week ago, a boat transporting some 50 Palestinians left the al-Beddawi camp. “We didn’t know about the departure until after the migrants posted photos of themselves after they reached Italian shores,” he added. “Either the concerned security agencies are facing difficulty in curbing illegal migration or they don’t intend to,” he remarked. Lebanon may be following Turkey’s approach in extorting Europe to pressure them into providing funds to the refugees and ease the burden they are placing on the Lebanese state, said Ibrahim. Politician Dr. Khaldoun al-Sharif stated that the dire economic and financial crisis is pushing people to take the treacherous sea journey out of Lebanon, which may be enduring the worst economic crisis the world has seen since World War II. Unemployment has reached 50 percent and drug abuse 13 percent, he noted. Add to that a recent report that found the Lebanese people to be the angriest in the world. People are desperate and the officials are continuing their petty political bickering as if nothing has changed, he lamented. Amid Dandachi, who lost his three children in the April sinking, said the illegal migration will continue in spite of the tragedy. “The conditions we are enduring in Tripoli and Akkar, from poverty to the dollarization of services while salaries remain in Lebanese pounds, will inevitably force people out to sea,” he stressed. The migration will continue to rise as long as the state continues to neglect our region, he told Asharq Al-Awsat. “We are bordered by Syria and Israel. The former is in a worse state than us, while the latter is an enemy, so the impoverished people have no choice but to put their life in danger at sea to secure a dignified life for their children,” he added.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3736096/illegal-migration-northern-lebanon-european-shores-rise
US, Taliban Talk Earthquake Aid, Foreign Reserves in Doha
World
Asharq Al-Awsat
FILE - In this May 28, 2019 file photo, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban group's top political leader, third from left, arrives with other members of the Taliban delegation for talks in Moscow, Russia. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)
Talks between the United States and the Taliban continued in Doha earlier this week to discuss earthquake aid, the State Department said Friday, months after the two parties last met in the Qatari capital in March. The Taliban is seeking a way to unlock some of the country's foreign reserves -- currently frozen by the United States -- following a devastating earthquake last month, with the United States looking for assurances the money would go to help the population, said AFP. During the meetings Wednesday and Thursday, the United States reiterated an earlier pledge of $55 million in new assistance for earthquake relief, the State Department said in a statement Friday. And "the two sides discussed in detail US actions to preserve $3.5 billion in Afghan central bank reserves for the benefit of the Afghan people," the statement said, money which the White House said last week the US was "urgently" working to sort out. Last week's 5.9-magnitude earthquake in eastern Afghanistan, which killed more than 1,000 people and left tens of thousands homeless, adds urgency to the funding debate. "The United States expressed condolences for the loss of life and suffering in Afghanistan caused by recent earthquakes," the State Department said of the meeting, which was led by Special Representative for Afghanistan Thomas West. The United States raised "concerns regarding increased interference by the Taliban in the delivery of humanitarian assistance" and "concerns regarding transparency in the delivery of services," the statement said of the aid. According to the State Department, US representatives also pushed the Taliban authorities on women's rights -- a sticking point which led Washington to cancel talks in Doha in March, when the group closed girls' secondary schools in Afghanistan. "The United States supports the Afghan people's demands that girls be allowed to return to school and that women be allowed to work, contribute to the country's economic growth, and move and express themselves freely," the statement said. The hardline Islamist Taliban took over in August 2021 after the United States gave up a 20-year military effort. Washington at the time froze $7 billion in reserves and the international community halted billions in direct aid that Afghanistan and its population of roughly 40 million people had relied on. The currency has collapsed and the country descended into a serious economic crisis, although some assistance has been restored. The Taliban is still considered a terrorist group by the United States, which has insisted that any improvement of relations would be dependent on meeting key concerns.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3735976/us-taliban-talk-earthquake-aid-foreign-reserves-doha
The world’s biggest car company, Toyota Motor Corp., reluctantly released an electric vehicle in May. Weeks later, it recalled 2,700 of them because there was a risk their wheels — the most fundamental component — would fall off. If that’s the level of quality and safety traditional auto giants are willing to commit to, then investors and regulators should increase their scrutiny. Getting it right on battery technology and electric motors is one thing, but bolting the wheels on properly? It shouldn’t even be a question. Billions of dollars have been invested, huge promises have been made and every major car manufacturer in the world has committed to go electric and clean. What’s more, cars are selling at record high prices. Toyota’s statement was alarming. “After low-mileage use, all of the hub bolts on the wheel can loosen to the point where the wheel can detach from the vehicle. If a wheel detaches from the vehicle while driving, it could result in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash,” the company said as it recalled its first electric car release. Long a leader in hybrid or gasoline-electric technology, the Japanese firm has been dragging its feet on EVs as competitors like Volkswagen AG have raced ahead. Toyota president Akio Toyoda has in the past commented on the excessive hype around green cars and pointed out the downsides. Meanwhile, Subaru Corp., in which Toyota holds a 20.02% stake, also recalled the Solterra, a related electric vehicle model jointly developed that shares parts with the latter’s bZ4x. Recalls are par for the course in the auto industry — every year, millions of vehicles are affected. Last year, more than 21 million were accounted for in recalls mandated by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, according to third-party data provider Recall Master. In addition, several million more are part of so-called voluntary campaigns that aren’t formally recognized by the authority. Most recalls in traditional cars are now about defects or issues with the electronics and software, or components like lights and wiring. That isn’t to say engine fires don’t happen — they do. This year, Ford Motor Co. recalled thousands of its models because the vehicles could catch fire while parked and turned off. The American car company told drivers to park their car outside while they worked on a solution. Hyundai Motor Co. announced a manufacturing defect that would lead to fires a few years ago. That’s just for internal combustion engine, or ICE, vehicles that have been in production for decades. EVs, on the other hand, are a new breed — many models are still concepts and barely mass-produced. That means as more are made, more problems are bound to crop up. In the past two years alone, there have been thousands of recalls, costing billions of dollars. What’s more, fires in electric cars are far worse and difficult to contain than those for traditional autos because of a process called thermal runaway, where the flames accelerate through chain reactions. General Motors Co. recalled all of the 142,000 of its electric Bolts sold because the risk of the battery — the core of the car — catching fire. LG Energy Solutions, with a market capitalization of $75 billion, made the fire-prone battery — the most expensive for green vehicles. The issue is, these aren’t just any recalls: These are serious and, most worryingly, basic problems — an engine combusting, a tire rolling off. Manufacturers say they are remedying the issue, but then what? These aren’t rag-tag up-starts trying to displace the incumbents — it’s publicly listed, corporate behemoths like LG, GM, Toyota, and their peers. Even though there aren’t many of these vehicles being produced right now, and there have, so far, been limited injuries, the fact that these cars could actually be on the road — and trusted because they are made by a large, well-established company — should raise alarm. Lawmakers, investors and firms are all pushing for electric vehicles. But we seem to have lost sight of safety. In the rush to go green and check off ESG criteria, responsibility is being shifted. Truth is, manufacturers will have to take greater care if investors withdraw their backing or significant shareholders start asking tough questions. Regulators need to play their part, too, by setting higher standards and tests before each model is released. Only then will automakers put consumers’ safety at top of their list, not the next self-driven vehicle. Bloomberg
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3735946/anjani-trivedi/wheels-have-come-electric-vehicles
US Sponsors Int’l Conference on Countering Hezbollah’s Terrorist Activities
Arab World
Asharq Al-Awsat
A Hezbollah flag and a poster depicting Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah are pictured along a street, near Sidon, Lebanon July 7, 2020. (Reuters)
The Law Enforcement Coordination Group (LECG) focused on countering Hezbollah’s terrorist and illicit activities convened in Europe on June 29-30 for its ninth meeting, said the US State Department. More than 30 governments – from the Middle East, South America, Central America, Europe, Africa, Indo-Pacific, and North America – participated in this session, along with Europol. Participants discussed Hezbollah’s ongoing global terrorist plotting, weapons procurement, and financial schemes, and outlined how Hezbollah may adapt in the future to evade law enforcement detection. LECG members discussed how law enforcement or financial tools can be used to disrupt Hezbollah’s terrorist and criminal activities, and associated networks. The LECG also featured governments from Europe, South and Central America, and the Indo-Pacific that have taken national level action in recent years to designate, ban or restrict Hezbollah from operating on their territory. LECG participants noted that these actions demonstrate the growing recognition among our partners about the need to cooperate on our efforts to counter Hezbollah’s global terrorist networks, said the State Department. Officials from the US Departments of State, Justice, Treasury, as well as from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the US Drug Enforcement Administration also participated in this meeting. The LECG will convene again in 2023.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3735921/us-sponsors-int%E2%80%99l-conference-countering-hezbollah%E2%80%99s-terrorist-activities
Asharq Al-Awsat
People gather in front of their residential building in the Gulf emirate of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in the early hours of 02 July 2022. A recorded earthquake of magnitude 6.5 has hit southern Iran with tremors felt in Dubai, UAE. (EPA)
Five people were killed and 44 others injured in a magnitude 6.3 earthquake in southern Iran on Saturday, state television reported. Rescue teams were deployed near the epicenter, Sayeh Khosh village, which is home to around 300 people in Hormozgan province, some 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) south of the capital, Tehran, the report said. People went into the streets as aftershocks continued to jolt the area after the early morning quake, which also damaged buildings and infrastructure. The earthquake was felt in many neighboring countries, the report said. The area has seen several moderate earthquakes in recent weeks. In November, one man died following two magnitude 6.4 and 6.3 earthquakes. Iran lies on major seismic faults and experiences one earthquake a day on average. In 2003, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake flattened the historic city of Bam, killing 26,000 people. A magnitude 7 earthquake that struck western Iran in 2017 killed more than 600 people and injured more than 9,000.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3735916/strong-earthquake-kills-5-southern-iran
