US accuses Syrian regime and ‘other actors’ of diverting quake aid and blocking deliveries

US accuses Syrian regime and ‘other actors’ of diverting quake aid and blocking deliveries
European Union (EU) humanitarian aid arrives on a plane at Damascus International Airport, in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake, in Syria February 26, 2023. (Reuters)
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Updated 01 March 2023

US accuses Syrian regime and ‘other actors’ of diverting quake aid and blocking deliveries

US accuses Syrian regime and ‘other actors’ of diverting quake aid and blocking deliveries
  • Geir Pedersen, the UN envoy to Syria, calls for ‘less posturing, less rhetoric and more pragmatism’
  • ‘This means access; this is not the time to play politics with crossings across borders or front lines’

NEW YORK CITY: The US on Tuesday accused the Syrian regime of President Bashar Assad of diverting lifesaving international humanitarian aid intended to help earthquake victims, that is instead being sold in markets or benefiting the Syrian authorities.

Ambassador Robert Wood, the alternate representative of the US for special political affairs in the UN, similarly accused “other actors” of blocking deliveries as he called on all sides to refrain from politicizing aid.

Responding to accusations that US sanctions are hampering the delivery of aid, Wood said that the sanctions only target individuals and entities that have “brutalized the people of Syria for over a decade.”

He added: “These are individuals who have tortured Syrians, dropped chemical weapons on Syrians, or stolen from the Syrian people through rampant corruption. US sanctions do not target humanitarian assistance to those in need and we have made that clear through our actions.”

Wood was speaking at a meeting of the Security Council to discuss the latest international efforts to help Syrians deal with the aftermath of the earthquakes that hit Turkiye and Syria on Feb. 6. They claimed at least 50,000 lives, 6,000 of them in Syria. Thousands more were injured and tens of thousands are missing.

Martin Griffiths, the UN’s humanitarian chief, told the council that even before “this immense tragedy, (about) 15.3 million people, that’s 70 per cent of (Syria’s) population, needed humanitarian assistance.”

Geir Pedersen, the UN’s special envoy for Syria, told council members that the earthquakes struck at a time when the needs of Syrian people were at their greatest, “when services were scarcest, when the economy was lowest, and when their infrastructure was already heavily damaged.”

He added: “It hit many areas where refugees and IDPs (internally displaced people) live, and in areas with heavy war damage or where conflict conditions remain acute.”

Calling for the depoliticization of the humanitarian response, he said: “This means access; this is not the time to play politics with crossings across borders or front lines.

“This means resources; this is the time for everybody to give quickly and generously to Syria and remove all hindrances to relief reaching Syrians in all affected areas. And this means calm; this is not the time for military action or violence.”

As he told the members of the Security Council of the sense of frustration he witnessed in northwestern Syria over the slow pace of the humanitarian response, Pedersen said it has been hampered in part by “challenges that relate directly to the unresolved issues at the heart of the conflict.”

He continued: “I have long said that the situation in Syria is unsustainable, that the status quo is totally unacceptable, and that the Syrian people are acutely vulnerable to issues not solely in their hands. It has taken tragic earthquakes to reveal this clearly. And the Syrian people, again, are the ones who pay a heavy price.”

Although there has been a lull in hostilities across front lines, Pedersen highlighted reports of “concerning incidents” involving shelling and mortar fire in regime and rebel-controlled areas,

Turkish drone strikes, Israeli attacks in Central Damascus, and Daesh attacks in the desert. He called for an immediate end to all violence.

The envoy also warned that the political challenges will increase as Syrians move from the initial emergency response phase of the disaster to recovery efforts.

“It will require navigating through one of the most complex political landscapes on the planet: A territory split into several zones of control; a government under sanctions from key donors; de facto authorities elsewhere; more than one listed terrorist group; five foreign armies; interlocking violent conflicts; mass displacement; systemic human rights violations and abuses; institutions that are degraded, corrupted or absent; destroyed infrastructure; a collapsed economy; growing illicit drug trafficking; grinding poverty; and skyrocketing needs,” he said.

“And it will require navigating these complexities in a context where the international community is itself deeply divided.”

Taking his inspiration from the Syrian people, he called for good leadership and a “cooperative spirit” because the way forward will require “less posturing, less rhetoric and more pragmatism” from stakeholders.

He added: “It will require realism and frankness from the Syrian government and the Syrian opposition, and all key outside actors. It will require firewalling Syria from wider geopolitical disputes among key players.

“Because, let’s be honest, the earthquakes have exposed and aggravated many of the core issues related to Security Council Resolution 2254: Issues of governance, sovereignty, territorial integrity; a nationwide ceasefire; building a safe, calm and neutral environment; the file of the detained, disappeared and missing; the safe, dignified and voluntary return of refugees and IDPs, many of whom have been displaced again by the earthquakes and have nowhere to go; and post-conflict reconstruction and rehabilitation, for which the earthquakes have only created new needs.”


Political stability of Libya is a ‘priority for Italy’s national security,’ says Meloni

Political stability of Libya is a ‘priority for Italy’s national security,’ says Meloni
Updated 17 sec ago

Political stability of Libya is a ‘priority for Italy’s national security,’ says Meloni

Political stability of Libya is a ‘priority for Italy’s national security,’ says Meloni
  • The comment from the Italian prime minister came during a lengthy meeting with Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, her counterpart in Libya’s transitional government
  • Giorgia Meloni said Libya ‘remains a strategic economic partner for Italy’ and stressed the importance of holding presidential and parliamentary elections in Libya ‘as soon as possible’

ROME: Italian authorities consider political stability in Libya “a priority for Italy’s national security,” Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, her counterpart in Libya’s transitional government, on Wednesday.
It came during a lengthy meeting in Rome, during which enhanced joint efforts to tackle illegal migration and cooperation in the fields of energy and waste management were the core issues they discussed, sources said.
Meloni said that Libya “remains a strategic economic partner for Italy.” She also stressed how important it is “to hold Libyan presidential and parliamentary elections as soon as possible,” and added that “Italy will continue to work to guarantee the success of the United Nations mediation.”
Sources in the Italian prime minister’s office told Arab News that Dbeibah was accompanied by the Libyan ministers of foreign affairs, interior, transport and communications.
Other representatives of the Italian government included deputy premiers Antonio Tajani, who is also the foreign minister, and Matteo Salvini, Minister of Business and Made in Italy Adolfo Urso, and Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi.
Piantedosi and his Libyan counterpart signed a memorandum of understanding for strengthening security cooperation.
On the sidelines of the meeting, an agreement for joint initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions was signed by Claudio De Scalzi, the CEO of Italian energy company ENI, and a representative of the Libya’s National Oil Corporation.
In addition, Telecom Italia Sparkle and the Libyan Post Telecommunications and Information Technology Company signed a memorandum of understanding for an underwater data cable linking the two countries.


Over 1,400 migrants are rescued from overcrowded boats off Italy by coast guard

Over 1,400 migrants are rescued from overcrowded boats off Italy by coast guard
Updated 07 June 2023

Over 1,400 migrants are rescued from overcrowded boats off Italy by coast guard

Over 1,400 migrants are rescued from overcrowded boats off Italy by coast guard
  • There were 47 migrants, including two children in immediate need of medical care, aboard the sailboat in distress off the region of Calabria
  • The rescues began late Monday night and ended in the early hours of Wednesday in the Ionian Sea off Calabria's east coast

ROME: More than 1,400 migrants have been rescued from overcrowded vessels, including a sailboat, in four separate operations in the Mediterranean Sea off southern Italy, the Italian coast guard said Wednesday.
There were 47 migrants, including two children in immediate need of medical care, aboard the sailboat in distress off the region of Calabria, in the “toe” of the Italian peninsula, a coast guard statement said. They were rescued by a coast guard motorboat early Tuesday.
The statement said the rescues began late Monday night and ended in the early hours of Wednesday in the Ionian Sea off Calabria’s east coast. One coast guard vessel took on around 590 migrants from aboard a fishing boat, and then later brought on around 650 migrants from another fishing boat, the statement said.
A coast guard motorboat and an Italian border police ship came to the assistance of a fourth vessel, with 130 migrants aboard.
Authorities didn’t immediately give details on the nationalities of the passengers or routes taken by the migrant vessels. But generally, many boats with migrants sighted off the Ionian Sea set out from Turkiye’s coast, where smugglers launch crowded and unseaworthy boats.
Earlier this year, a migrant boat navigating on that route slammed into a sandbank just off a Calabrian beach town and broke apart. At least 94 migrants perished and 80 others survived.
That shipwreck is under criminal investigation, including the role of several members of Italy’s border police corps, which operates vessels off the country’s long coastline. Four suspected smugglers have been arrested.
In addition, prosecutors want to know if rescue efforts could have been launched hours earlier. Italian border police boats reportedly turned back to port because of rough seas, and by the time a coast guard vessel, better equipped to navigate in poor sea conditions, reached the area, bodies were already in the water. In that case, the migrant boat had been spotted hours earlier by a surveillance aircraft operated by Frontex, the European Union’s border monitoring force.
Wednesday’s statement by the coast guard said that crew on a Frontex surveillance plane had spotted a fishing boat with the 590 migrants aboard. A Frontex patrol boat and a Frontex support vessel were among the assets involved in the rescue operations for the two fishing boats, according to the coast guard.
Alarm Phone, a nongovernmental organization that frequently receives satellite calls from migrant vessels in distress and relays the information to maritime authorities in Italy and Malta, was among the organizations signaling the need for rescue for the 130 people aboard the fourth boat.


Erdogan proposes destroyed dam probe in Zelensky call

Erdogan proposes destroyed dam probe in Zelensky call
Updated 07 June 2023

Erdogan proposes destroyed dam probe in Zelensky call

Erdogan proposes destroyed dam probe in Zelensky call
  • Moscow and Kyiv have traded blame for the destruction of Kakhovka hydroelectric dam
  • President Erdogan said that a commission could be established with the participation of experts from the warring parties, the United Nations and the international community

ISTANBUL: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday proposed, in a call with his Ukrainian counterpart, creating an international commission to probe the destruction of a major dam in southern Ukraine, his office reported.
Moscow and Kyiv have traded blame for the destruction of Kakhovka hydroelectric dam, which was ripped open early Tuesday after a reported blast.
“President Erdogan said that a commission could be established with the participation of experts from the warring parties, the United Nations and the international community, including Turkiye, for a detailed investigation into the explosion at Kakhovka dam,” his office said after the call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Kakhovka dam sits on the Dnipro River, which feeds a reservoir providing cooling water for the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, Europe’s largest, some 150 kilometers (90 miles) upstream.
The destruction of the dam caused torrents of water to pour into the Dnipro, pushing thousands of civilians to flee the flooded areas while raising fears of an ecological disaster.
NATO member Turkiye, which has good ties with Moscow and Kyiv.


Marcos to strengthen ties with countries hosting Filipino workers

Marcos to strengthen ties with countries hosting Filipino workers
Updated 07 June 2023

Marcos to strengthen ties with countries hosting Filipino workers

Marcos to strengthen ties with countries hosting Filipino workers
  • Philippines celebrates Migrant Workers’ Day every June 7
  • Overseas ‘heroes’ are key drivers of the Philippine economy

MANILA: Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced on Wednesday his administration would foster stronger ties with countries that host overseas Filipinos to ensure their safety and welfare.

Nearly 2 million migrant workers are key drivers of the Philippine economy and a main source of the country’s foreign reserves.

Often referred to as “modern-day heroes,” Marcos said overseas Filipinos “fuel the engine of progress” in the Philippines. They sent around $36 billion in personal remittances last year, making up about 8.9 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, according to central bank data.

“We understand the challenges that you faced being far from your loved ones, adjusting to new cultures and overcoming barrier(s),” Marcos said in a video message broadcast to mark Migrant Workers’ Day in the Philippines.

“That’s why this administration will continue to foster stronger ties with countries that host our migrant workers, ensuring safety, welfare and well-being.”

Nearly a quarter of overseas Filipinos, or OFWs, work and live in Saudi Arabia, followed by the UAE, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Singapore and Qatar.

“In every corner of the globe, you have left an indelible mark that uplifted both your host countries and our nation in the process,” Marcos said, adding that their sacrifices had “nurtured dreams, elevated livelihoods, and fueled the engine of progress” in the Philippines.

The Philippines celebrates Migrant Workers’ Day every June 7 in commemoration of enacting the 1995 Migrant Workers’ Act, which introduces standards for the protection and welfare of those working abroad, their families and overseas Filipinos in distress.

In 2021, former president Rodrigo Duterte signed a law establishing the Department of Migrant Workers, which is tasked with overseeing policies protecting OFWs.

The DMW’s Secretary Susan Ople announced on Wednesday training and mentorship programs for OFWs with the Department of Trade and Industry to help Filipino migrant workers start their own businesses once they return to home.

“Our OFWs contribute to our economy through their dollar remittances but at some point in their lives, they would also need to come home and create sustainable sources of income through entrepreneurship, sound investments or by landing a better job here at home,” Ople said.

“We want them to come back with excitement in their hearts on what the future holds for them and their families, through meaningful partnerships across the government bureaucracy and with NGOs and private companies serving as their mentors and cheerleaders.”


Poll suggests most Asian, Black people in UK face regular discrimination

Protesters with banners and placards march from Toxteth into central Liverpool in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Protesters with banners and placards march from Toxteth into central Liverpool in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Updated 07 June 2023

Poll suggests most Asian, Black people in UK face regular discrimination

Protesters with banners and placards march from Toxteth into central Liverpool in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
  • Majority of respondents say Britain needs to make more progress on racial issues over next 25 years

LONDON: A new report has revealed that more than two-thirds of Black and Asian people in the UK face racial discrimination in their daily lives, the Metro reported.

The study by British Future, a think tank, explored British public attitudes on race, identity, and bias, using polling data covering almost 2,500 people, including 1,000 from an ethnic minority background.

The polling was conducted by Focaldata in March and April.

Though 80 percent of ethnic minority participants said that the UK was a better place to live for minorities than the US, Germany, and France, 67 percent said that they still faced discrimination in Britain on a daily basis.

When White British participants were asked if the UK was a better place to live for minorities compared to other major Western countries, 73 percent reckoned the statement was true while 27 percent did not.

But when asked if it was easier to “get on” in Britain if you were white, 48 percent of white British respondents and 60 percent of ethnic minority participants said that they believed it was.

And more than half of all respondents said that Britain’s political and media culture had become more divisive and polarized, including on racial issues, which two-thirds of people said should involve a less-heated debate.

On Britain’s progress on racial issues over the last 25 years, 68 percent of ethnic minority participants and 71 percent of white respondents said that the country had made “significant” changes.

However, a majority of all respondents — 64 percent of white Britons and 80 percent of minority groups — agreed with the statement that Britain “needs to make much more progress on race in the next 25 years.”