Daily News Brief - 15/09/2022
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Please find below today’s daily news brief.
Egypt: National political dialogue is expected to begin in October
After months of preparations, the board of trustees announced the selection of the rapporteurs for its three main tracks and the 15 subcommittees to be discussed during the dialogue, meaning that the arrangements for the beginning of the discussions are in their final stages. Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi announced political talks with the opposition forces in April this year.
Egypt | Qatar: Egyptian president meets with Qatar’s emir during the first official visit to Doha since the 2017 crisis
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi met with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Wednesday during the former’s first visit to the Gulf country since the 2017 crisis when Cairo joined Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, and Manama in imposing a blockade on Doha. Sheikh Tamim told el-Sisi that Qatar will work towards increasing investment in Egypt as the two countries work toward reconciliation. The two leaders signed several agreements, including in the field of investment and development.
Egypt | US: Washington withholds $130 million in military aid to Egypt due to a bad human rights situation
The Biden administration announced that it will withhold $130 million in military aid to Egypt over its failure to fulfill human rights conditions imposed by Washington. However, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has determined that Cairo, by releasing hundreds of jailed individuals, had made some progress on political detentions. The aid that the Biden administration decided to withhold accounts for 10% of the $1.3 billion allocated to Egypt annually.
Iran | Russia: Iranian president meets with his Russian counterpart, signs memorandum to join Shanghai Cooperation Organization
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Uzbekistan as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, held in the city of Samarkand, is scheduled to begin today. According to Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Tehran signed a memorandum of obligations to join the SCO, saying that “Iran has entered a new stage of various economic, commercial, transit, and energy cooperation.” During a press conference, Putin stated that “we are doing everything to make Iran a full member of the SCO,” adding that “on the bilateral level, cooperation is developing positively.”
Israel | Palestine: Palestinian teenager killed by the Israeli forces during armed confrontations in Jenin
A Palestinian teenager identified as 17-year-old Uday Salah was killed on Thursday by Israeli forces during a raid in Kafr Dan, Jenin governorate. According to the Palestinian health ministry, Salah was killed “by a bullet to the head fired by the Israeli soldiers.”
Israel | Lebanon: Israeli defense minister warns Hezbollah over attack on gas rigs in the Mediterranean
Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz warned the Lebanese group Hezbollah on Thursday saying that “if [Hezbollah chief Hassan] Nasrallah wants to try and harm the Karish rig, he’s welcome to do so, but the price will be Lebanon.” He added, referring to the ongoing negotiations regarding the maritime border delimitation, that “Israel is ready to reach a deal that will assist both countries economically and energy-wise.”
Jordan | France: Jordan’s king arrives in Paris and meets with the French president
Jordan’s King Abdullah II, accompanied by Queen Rania and Crown Prince Hussein, arrived in Paris on Wednesday where they were welcomed by French President Emmanuel Macron. According to a source, at the bilateral level, the meeting represents “a new stage of the strategic partnership.” The two leaders discussed the recent developments in the Middle East and Iran’s role in the region.
Libya | UN: UN chief calls upon Libya’s rivals to keep peace in the country and hold elections
In a press conference on Wednesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Libyan leaders to preserve peace “at all costs” and agree on legal issues so that elections can be held. He strongly encouraged world powers to meet again in Berlin, calling the previous conferences “the most useful international instrument that we had to avoid the worst.” The UN recently appointed a new special envoy for Libya, Senegal’s Abdoulaye Bathily. Guterres’s statement comes after the last spark of violent confrontations in Tripoli left at least 42 people dead and over 150 injured.
Turkey: Turkish president arrives in Uzbekistan for SCO summit, meets Russian counterpart on the sidelines
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has arrived in Samarkand, Uzbekistan to attend a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit. Turkey participates at the presidential level for the first time since Ankara obtained dialogue partner status in 2012. On Friday, Erdogan is scheduled to hold a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to “evaluate the effectiveness” of a deal under which wheat exports from Ukraine via the Black Sea resumed.
UAE | Israel: Emirati foreign minister arrives in Israel for an official meeting
UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed arrived in Israel on Wednesday for an official visit, marking the two-year anniversary of normalizing ties with the Jewish state. According to Emirati media, bin Zayed will meet several top-level officials such as Prime Minister Yair Lapid and President Isaac Herzog with which he will discuss the prospect of expanding the bilateral ties between the two countries as well as regional issues.