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Iran ‘to accept’ EU proposal on nuclear deal following Qatari mediation: sources

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Fatemeh Salari
August 15, 2022
Doha News
URL: https://dohanews.co/iran-to-accept-eu-proposal-on-nuclear-deal-following-qatari-mediation-sources/

Source: Iran Foreign Ministry via Twitter

Iran will deliver its final response regarding the 2015 nuclear deal by midnight, Tehran time.
Iran has allegedly stepped towards accepting a European Union proposal through Qatari mediation, with an agreement soon to be signed, according to Iran-based sources.
The EU proposal was submitted to the parliament last week the source, Iranian journalist Saeed Azimi said, though he noted relevant authorities are not yet entirely pleased with it.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian allegedly said that just like any other deal, the text cannot be entirely in Iran’s favour. He also noted the views of thee seven countries involved in the deal were included in the text.
According to the source, the Islamic Republic is expected to share its final response at midnight, Tehran time. The Iranian foreign minister also announced Tehran would deliver its final proposal on a possible deal in Vienna by midnight.
Indirect talks between Iran and the United States initially began in April 2021 in Vienna with the participation of the p4+1, namely the United Kingdom, France, China, Russia plus Germany.
“I’m expecting a yes,” the Tehran Times journalist shared on Twitter. “The rest,” he added, as the foreign minister said is based on the feedback of the United States.
“Crucial days are ahead,” noted the source, adding that an extraordinary meeting was allegedly held on Monday, chaired by Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi in order to review the EU proposal.
The source further stressed that the Iranian foreign minister made no remarks about “safeguards being an obstacle to the deal.”
“All he said about obstacles was regarding economic guarantees.”
Tehran has always maintained that obtaining a lasting guarantee of Iran’s full economic benefit from the agreement could yield fruitful negotiations.
“We are at the beginning of the end of the talks,” Amirabdollahian allegedly said, as reported by the source, Saeed Azimi, on Twitter.

“The American side has recently shown verbal flexibility in two issues, but this should be written [in the text]. It is important that the issue of guarantees is dealt with by the US with a realistic approach,” the foreign minister reportedly said.
Upon being asked if he was briefed about the EU draft before it was presented, Russia’s chief representative at the talks, Mikhail Ulyanov said on Twitter Monday: “I am not aware of ‘the EU draft’. The text on the table was elaborated by all participants in the Vienna Talks. The EU introduced on August 8 just a few amendments to it,” adding that Moscow will not be an impediment in the fate of JCPOA’s revival.
A Friday report by state news agency, Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), quoted a senior Iranian diplomat as saying an EU proposal to revive the landmark 2015 Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) “can be acceptable if it provides assurances” on Tehran’s key demands.
The EU said last week it had put forward a “final” text following four days of indirect talks between the US and Iranian officials in Vienna.
No more amendments could be made to the text, which has been under intense negotiation for 15 months, a senior EU official said, according to reports. He added that a final decision from the parties is expected within a “very, very few weeks.”
The unidentified Iranian diplomat was quoted by IRNA as saying the Islamic Republic was assessing the proposal. “Proposals by the EU can be acceptable if they provide Tehran with assurance on the issues of safeguards, sanctions and guarantees,” the diplomat said.
Tehran has always maintained the position that any agreement to revive the nuclear deal should result in the entire removal of the sanctions in a verifiable order. It also required official guarantee by Washington to ensure that no other US administration would abandon the nuclear accord.
The US unilaterally abandoned the JCPOA in May 2018 under the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign on Tehran. In addition, Washington reimposed sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
The US has said it is “ready to quickly reach an agreement” to salvage the accord on the basis of the EU proposals, reports said.
The Russian envoy to the talks added on Sunday that sanctions against Iran can be lifted soon.
Iranian officials had said they would reveal their “additional views and considerations” to the EU, which facilitates the talks, after consultations in Tehran.
Nasser Kanaani, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, said on Monday during a press conference that the progress has not fully met the legal demands of Tehran and a “consensus” is nearby regarding the talks in Vienna on the condition that Tehran’s “red lines are observed and its main interests are being met.”
Amirabdollahian said on Monday that Washington has “agreed” to two of Tehran’s demands on the talks to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, IRNA reported.
Iran’s negotiating team abstained from providing a “countdown on the conclusion of the talks, because the government decided not to link the livelihood of the Iranian people to the talks,” the foreign minister said.
The top Iranian diplomat on Saturday expressed: “History ought to have taught the US that language of threat against Iran and Iranians achieves nothing.”
“Futile attempts at deflection won’t allow the US to evade responsibility for the thousands of Iranian and other victims of its involvement in terrorist crimes in our region.”
Qatari authorities have yet to comment on the matter, however Doha recently held two days of talks in a bid to revive stalled negotiations.

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Azerbaijanis in UK appeal to country’s Parliament regarding attack on Azerbaijani embassy

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6 August 2022 18:00 (UTC+04:00) – AZERNEWS.AZ

By Trend
The Coordination Council of Azerbaijanis in the UK appealed to the Parliament and Home Secretary Priti Patel regarding the religious extremists’ attack on the embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Trend reports.
The appeal emphasized that Azerbaijan has always been against any kind of extremism, and the Azerbaijani community in the UK strongly condemns the attack on the Azerbaijani embassy, ​​located in one of the central streets of London. Moreover, such an act of vandalism flagrantly infringes upon the requirements of international law, as well as the Vienna Convention, and constitutes aggression against the state attributes and Azerbaijan’s territory.
“This incident will further strengthen the unity of our people in the fight against radical religious ideology,” said the appeal.
According to the Council, the provocative behavior revealed a security gap that the host country had to envisage in accordance with international legal obligations.
“Azerbaijan is a secular state that opposes all kinds of religious extremism. The attack coincided with the period of future development of Azerbaijan–EU relations in the oil and gas sector and the achievement of a decisive stage in the peace negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan brokered by the EU, which is likely to aim to damage developing ties between the UK and Azerbaijan,” the appeal outlined.
Azerbaijanis living in the UK demanded the soonest expulsion of religious radicals from the country in order to restore political and diplomatic stability.

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Tunisia: Drop all charges against journalist Salah Attia

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Amnesty International
August 15, 2022
URL: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/08/tunisia-drop-all-charges-against-journalist-salah-attia/
The Tunisian authorities should immediately drop all charges against Salah Attia, a detained journalist who is on trial before a military court in connection with public remarks he made about President Kais Saied and the armed forces, Amnesty International said today. Attia’s next trial hearing is on 16 August.
Attia has now been detained for two months, and could face up to seven years in prison if found guilty. He is among the latest in a series of high-profile critics, political opponents, and perceived enemies of the president whom authorities have targeted with investigation, prosecution, arbitrary travel bans, or arbitrary detention since Saied claimed sweeping emergency powers on 25 July 2021.
… no civilian should face trial before Tunisia’s military courts. This travesty of justice must stop.
Amna Guellali, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa
“Tunisian authorities are perfectly free to dispute and counter what media report about them without arresting and prosecuting journalists. In any case, no civilian should face trial before Tunisia’s military courts. This travesty of justice must stop,” said Amna Guellali, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.
“While President Saied has repeatedly vowed to uphold human rights  including freedom of expression, authorities’ persecution of Salah Attia sends a message to journalists that reporting on the president and state institutions may carry risks. Authorities must immediately release Salah Attia and drop the bogus charges against him.”
On 10 June, 2022 Attia, who is the owner and editor of Al Ray Al Jadid, a Tunis-based online newspaper, spoke as a guest on an Al Jazeera news show. During the broadcast, he said that President Saied had asked the army to close the offices of the Union Générale Tunisienne du Travail, Tunisia’s largest labour union, but that the army had refused to do so and had informed the union. The union has denied this claim. Attia also said that the army had refused a request by Saied to place unspecified political leaders under house arrest.
On 11 June, police in Tunis arrested Attia. Two days later, the Military Court of First Instance opened an investigation against him in connection with the 10 June broadcast. A military judge ordered him placed in detention, where he has remained since.
Two days later, the court launched an investigation against Attia for inciting armed violence, “accusing a public official of illegal acts without proof,” “denigrating the army” and “harming or disturbing others through telecommunications networks.”
At the opening of Attia’s trial on 26 July, the judge dropped the charge of inciting armed violence, which mandates the death penalty, but maintained the other three charges, according to Attia’s lawyers. The three remaining charges all carry prison terms.
“Journalists should never have to fear reprisals from authorities for their reporting, no matter how critical, embarrassing, or otherwise displeasing for authorities that reporting might be,” said Amna Guellali.
Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), both of which Tunisia has ratified, guarantee the right to freedom of expression, including – in the words of the ICCPR – the right to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas of all kinds.” Any restrictions imposed on this right must be proportional, strictly necessary for a legitimate reason, and provided by law.
In addition, the United Nations’ Human Rights Committee has stated in its General Comment 34 that governments “should not prohibit criticism of institutions, such as the army or the administration.”
Defamation should always be treated as a civil, not criminal, offense, and those found guilty of defamation should not be punished with time in prison.
In a report published on 20 April 2010, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression called on governments to decriminalize defamation, and stated that “no criminal or civil action for defamation should be admissible in respect of a civil servant or the performance of his or her duties.”
Article 14 of the ICCPR guarantees the right to trial before a “competent, independent and impartial tribunal established by law.” Because Tunisia’s president has the final word on the appointment of judges and prosecutors in the military justice system, Tunisia’s military courts do not fulfil the requirement of independence under international human rights law.
Background
On 25 July 2021, President Saied suspended parliament, dismissed former Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi, and claimed sweeping emergency powers that he said were granted to him by the Constitution.
On 22 September 2021, Saied issued Presidential Decree 2021-117, which suspended most of Tunisia’s 2014 Constitution and granted him nearly unchecked powers to rule by decree. He also dissolved a temporary body tasked with vetting the constitutionality of laws, and barred anyone from overturning his decree-laws in court.
Since then, Saied has dissolved parliament and weakened or dismantled key institutional safeguards for human rights, including the independence of the judiciary. The number of civilians prosecuted in military courts has also increased sharply, including for “crimes” such as publicly criticizing the president.
Saied has also overseen that drafting, via an opaque process, of a new constitution that contains provisions threatening to human rights. The new constitution was approved by popular referendum on 25 July 2022.

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Tunisia: judges celebrate dismissal victory

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August 16, 2022
Middle East Monitor
URL: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220816-tunisia-judges-celebrate-dismissal-victory/

 
Judges and lawyers gather to protest President of Tunisia, Kais Saied’s decision to dissolve the Supreme Judicial Council in front of Palais de Justice in Tunis, Tunisia on February 10, 2022 [Yassine Gaidi / Anadolu Agency]

August 16, 2022 at 11:22 am

Members of the Association of Tunisian Magistrates and the Tunisian Association of Women Judges have celebrated the decision to stop the dismissal of a large number of their colleagues. According to Judge Hammadi Rahmani, around 600 judges took part in the celebratory event on Saturday evening.

“This was an expression of their happiness for the return of their colleagues to their duties, their victory and lifting the injustice that was imposed on the most honest judges,” said Rahmani.
He confirmed that union members and human rights activists were among those taking part in the event. They included former parliamentarian and human rights defender Bushra Belhaj Hamida; representatives of the Tunisian Association of Democratic Women; the head of the Association of Families of Martyrs and Wounded of the Revolution; former heads of the National Bar Association, including Chawki Tabib, Abderrazak Kilani and Amer al-Mahrazi; and other civil society organisations.
The event was described by Rahmani as “an evening for the free judiciary” over the “injustice of the authorities [and] their judiciary”.
Rahmani is one of the judges who were included in the decisions to dismiss many members of the judiciary, and was mentioned in the rulings of the Administrative Court to suspend their implementation.

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Tunisian leader to attend U.S. – Africa summit in Washington

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 North Africa Post
August 16, 2022 2:36 pm
URL: https://northafricapost.com/59891-tunisian-leader-to-attend-u-s-africa-summit-in-washington.html

Tunisia’s President Kais Saied is expected in December to attend the U.S. and Africa summit organized by the American President Joe Biden, the Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. mission in Tunis has revealed.
Natasha Franceschi told Tunisia’s top diplomat Othmane Jerandi Monday that President Biden will extend an invitation to the Tunisian leader.
The summit is scheduled for December 13-15 and will discuss relations between Washington and The African continent and ways to counter China’s and Russia’s influence in Africa.
The announcement of the invitation comes amid tension between the two countries as Washington voices concern about democracy depreciation in the North African country which many in the world have considered the only success story of the Arab Spring.
President Saied bolstered his grip on power on July 25 this year through a referendum rejected by the vast majority of Tunisians. The referendum adopted a constitution that many believe will tighten his control of state apparatuses.
Saied, on July 25 last year, fired then Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi, froze the parliament in a bid, he had said, to restore the country and fight corruption.
The U.S rejected the move and indicated that Washington will slash into two its military aid until democracy is restored.

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Saudi Arabia expected to revoke Hajj-related age limit regulation

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15th August 2022
Antara News
URL: https://en.antaranews.com/news/244577/saudi-arabia-expected-to-revoke-hajj-related-age-limit-regulation
 

Illustration of Hajj pilgrims. (ANTARA/HO-22/rst) Jakarta (ANTARA) – Director General of Hajj and Umrah at the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs Hilman Latief is optimistic of the Government of Saudi Arabia revoking the rules for limiting the age for Hajj for next year’s pilgrims.

“(It is) because we want to fulfill the expectations of the pilgrims. Currently, there are many pilgrims, who are restricted to perform Hajj, due to the age limit. Our Minister, Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, has conveyed this matter to the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Hajj and Umrah to review this matter,” Latief noted in a written statement received here Monday. 
He affirmed that the cancellation of the 2020 and 2021 Hajj had resulted in the waiting list for pilgrims being doubled. The waiting list, which was originally 20 years, has now become 40 years, and the waiting list that was originally 30 years has extended to 60 years.
During the 2022 Hajj, the Saudi Arabian government imposed an age limit of 65 years due to which several pilgrims were unable to perform Hajj despite having entered the queue on time.
“Hopefully, Minister Qoumas’ visit to meet with the Saudi minister of Hajj and Umrah would bring disclosure,” Latief remarked.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Religious Affairs will start preparing for the implementation of the 2023 Hajj to mitigate the related costs. The cost of organizing the Hajj (BPIH) is in the range of Rp88 million to Rp102 million for this year.
“The implementation of Hajj in future also requires careful preparations. The cost for this year is quite high at Rp88 million to Rp102 million per person,” he affirmed.
He also expressed optimism that the cost for Masyair’s services (Arafah, Muzdalifah, and Mina) will be more proportional. For this year’s Hajj season, there is an additional Masyair fee of Rp22 million to Rp24 million per pilgrim for four days in Masyair in addition to the predetermined Hajj fee.
“Therefore, Indonesia, with the largest number of pilgrims, will take many steps, including arranging more rational financing from the Saudi Arabian government,” he said.

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‘Ballot as per voter address on Civil ID’

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The Arab Times
August 17, 2022
URL: http://www.arabtimesonline.com/news/ballot-as-per-voter-address-on-civil-id/
 
KUWAIT CITY, Aug 16: The 2020 National Assembly received a total of 300 complaints and petitions against ministries and other public institutions — 220 complaints and 30 petitions, which were referred to the Complaints and Petitions Committee tasked to assess them and submit reports in this regard. This committee is one of the permanent committees formed in the first parliamentary term and the only parliamentary committee stipulated in the Constitution, particularly Article 115. This article states “the National Assembly shall, from among its annual committees, form a special commission to enquire into petitions and complaints submitted to it by citizens. The commission shall conduct inquiries with the quarters concerned and thereafter notify the petitioner of the result.
A member of the Assembly shall not be allowed to interfere in the activities of the Judiciary and of the Executive.” In the first year of its term, the Assembly received 80 complaints and petitions — 75 complaints and five petitions; while in the second year, it received 220 complaints and petitions — 195 complaints and 25 petitions. On March 30, 2021; the assembly received 66 complaints and petitions — 61 complaint and five petitions. On April 13, 2021; the Assembly looked into 14 complaints, while on Jan 4, 2022 it reviewed 156 complaints and 22 petitions. On Jan 18, 2022; the Assembly received and reviewed 14 complaints and two petitions, in addition to six complaints and two petitions on Feb 1, 2022.
Meanwhile, the decision on inviting interested citizens to run for the 2022 legislative election is expected to be issued during the Cabinet meeting scheduled for Wednesday. Sources said the elections will most likely be conducted based on the voter’s address in the civil identification card and as per the record of the Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI). A decree on necessity is expected to be issued soon to approve voting according to the information recorded in the civil identification card, while the correction of data in the electoral rolls is ongoing to make sure they are identical with those stated in the civil identification card.

In another development, the Public Prosecution ordered the arrest of six candidates and organizers of primary elections; increasing the total number of individuals accused of involvement in such illegal activities to 15. Moreover, former Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim affirmed his father is in good health condition; denying rumors about the latter’s condition. He appealed to those spreading such rumors to respect the privacy of families and refrain from dragging family members into political disputes. By Saeed Mahmoud Saleh Arab Times Staff

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Amazigh World Congress accuses Morocco of maintaining racist policie

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August 16, 2022
Middle East Monitor
URL: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220816-amazigh-world-congress-accuses-morocco-of-maintaining-racist-policies/

Women carrying a Moroccan (L) and an Amazigh flag (R) and flashing the three-finger Amazigh symbol during a sit-in on March 2, 2012 [ABDELHAK SENNA/AFP via Getty Images]

August 16, 2022 at 1:22 pm

The Amazigh World Congress (CMA) has slammed the Moroccan government for “maintaining dangerous state racism against Amazigh” – the indigenous ethnic people of North Africa.
In a recent press release from late last month, the CMA criticised the current government under Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch, who is of Amazigh origin, over its “support for the violation of Moroccan laws, and the preservation of state racism against the Amazigh”.
The statement cited the government’s failure to include the Amazigh language on the new electronic identity card, in spite of the language’s official recognition over a decade ago. The communique also slammed Akhannouch for using the Amazigh identity as “folkloric” for political purposes, while treating the indigenous culture as a sub-culture of Arab identity.
“The anti-Amazigh policy in Morocco has been accompanied in recent years by the emergence of a new current of pseudo-nationalist ideas, which promote “Moroccanity” or “tameghrabit”, erected into an ideology which simply aims to drown the Amazighity, land, history, civilization, indigenous language and culture of this country, in triumphant Arabism,” the statement stressed.
“It is a new strategy that aims to hide and flout the rights of the Amazighs as indigenous people of Morocco and other Tamazgha countries and to continue the spoliations in particular of their ancestral collective lands and their wealth.”
READ: Moroccan human rights organisation: Amazigh language issue does not live up to expectations
The CMA also noted that “even the expected symbolic gesture of official recognition of Yennayer, the Amazigh New Year’s Day, as a national holiday has not been made.” In January, the Minister of Culture announced that “there is a government discussion about adopting the Amazigh New Year as an official holiday, and we are waiting for the Prime Minister’s decision.”
However, Mohamed El-Simo, a parliamentary representative for the National Rally of Independents in the House of Representatives has dismissed the claims made by the CMA as “untrue”.
The government “has attached great importance to the Amazigh language and began implementing its commitments on the ground in public administrations, institutions and courts,” El-Simo told Moroccan news website Hespress, adding that “In just seven months, this government provided Amazigh what others have not done in five years.”
The government “will not retreat from its commitments, despite the difficult situation we are living in,” added the parliament official, expressing that “The Prime Minister affirms in all our meetings with him that the government gives priority to Amazigh, and emphasizes the rehabilitation of it.”
In May it was reported that the Moroccan authorities had begun introducing the Amazigh language into institutions such as parliament and public administrations.
READ: Morocco parliament uses simultaneous interpretation into Berber for the first time

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Pakistan may have early general elections

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awazthevoice.in
 Published:  19-08-2022 19:48:00 PM
URL: https://www.awazthevoice.in/world-news/pakistan-may-have-early-general-elections-14810.html

Islamabad
Pakistan is in a state of severe political unrest as former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was ousted in April through a no-confidence vote in Parliament, has kept political temperatures high with massive public rallies and protests, demanding immediate and early general elections in the country.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has started preparations for the next general elections, directing its officials to prepare the lists of polling staff, stations and complete procedures to conduct the polls.
As per sources, the poll body  has also decided to train the election staff and make then versed with modern lines in relation to the general elections.
The ECP’s decision to speed up the process comes at a time when the incumbent Shehbaz Sharif government and his coalition partners, have clearly and repeatedly announced that the elections will be held after completion of its tenure next year.
However, voices within the coalition, including Pakistan People Party (PPP), have recommended the early polls.
On the other hand, Khan has been staging massive public gatherings in different parts of the country, calling on the government and the ECP to announce early elections, stating that he would never accept the current government as it came into power through a regime change conspiracy led by the US and implemented through his political opponents to oust his administration.
The sources further revealed that ECP is looking towards holding the general election in October , which many believe, would be a win-win situation for the former premier as he stands as the most popular leader among the masses.
As per sources in the ECP, the process of delimitation of the constituencies had been completed.
The ECP had invited public objections and suggestions regarding the delimitation and had issued a final list of 266 constituencies of National Assembly and 593 constituencies of the four provincial Assemblies.
On the other hand, the coalition government is focused on getting Khan disqualified through different cases including Foreign Funding case, Tosha Khana case, anti-establishment social media campaign case and on charges of corruption.
The government is faced with a major political challenge by Khan as he continues to gather massive crowds of his supporters in public gatherings.
His political popularity has gone sky high as his narrative of regime change has been received very well by the public.
While the current government and its coalition partners have rejected Khan’s demand of early elections and said that elections in the country will be held after completion of its tenure, the ECP’s steps to complete all procedures for elections at a fast pace and the intent to hold early polls by October, certainly raises the question on Shehbaz Sharif’s government time in power.

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