by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Washington : US President Donald Trump has ordered more than $200 million in economic aid which was to be allocated to Gaza and the West Bank be redirected elsewhere.
A State Department official said the decision was made after a review “to ensure these funds are spent in accordance with US national interests”, BBC reported on Friday.
It has already withheld $65 million from the UN relief agency for the Palestinians.
Relations between the Palestinians and the US have been difficult since Trump took power.
They hit a low point after the US recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December 2017. As a result, the Palestinians said the US was unable to continue its mediation role in the peace process and suspended contact.
The US administration, meanwhile, suspended aid to the Palestinians pending a review in the light of the Taylor Force Act back in June.
The act aimed to force the Palestinian Authority to cease paying stipends to families of individuals convicted of terrorism against Israel.
On Friday, a State Department spokesman said the decision to “redirect” the funds to other “high-priority projects” was made as a result of the review, but did not say where the money would now go.
Both the Palestinians and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency warned cutting funding would make everyday life harder for the territories’ citizens
However, the US official said the decision took into account “the challenges the international community faces in providing assistance in Gaza, where Hamas control endangers the lives of Gaza’s citizens and degrades an already dire humanitarian and economic situation”.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Business, Emerging Businesses, World
Beijing : A new round of meetings between Beijing and Washington to seek a way out of the trade war has been constructive and will continue, Chinese authorities said on Friday.
At the invitation of the US, a Chinese delegation led by Vice-Minister of Commerce Wang Shouwen held talks on Wednesday and Thursday with the US delegation in Washington headed by Treasury Under Secretary David Malpass, China’s Commerce Ministry said in a statement.
The exchange “on trade issues of mutual importance” was “constructive and frank”, according to the statement which assures that both parties will remain in contact, reports Efe news.
A new round of high-level dialogue is expected next week to put an end to the trade war ahead of the meetings between the US and Chinese Presidents, Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, in upcoming multilateral forums.
The leaders are expected to meet at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in mid-November with heads of state from the other 19 member countries, and in a second session at the G20 leaders’ summit in Buenos Aires at the end of November.
On Thursday, the US announced a new round of 25 pe rcent tariffs worth $16 billion on Chinese imports, and China responded to match it shortly after.
Previously, when the $34 billion worth of taxes on Chinese imports came into effect on July 6, China in turn levied the same amount of tariffs on the US imports.
With this latest round of China’s tariffs on the US goods announced on Thursday, the total package now reaches $50 billion.
China on Thursday filed another claim before the World Trade Organization to “safeguard free trade and multilateral systems, and defend its own lawful interests”.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasimi.
By Ali Murat Alhas,
Ankara: An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman on Thursday called on the U.S. to return to a landmark nuclear deal from which it withdrew earlier this year.
Speaking on Iranian state television, ministry spokesman Bahram Qasimi said that returning to the nuclear deal would be “the best option” for the U.S.
“I hope the U.S. views Iran — and the region in general — in a positive light and doesn’t repeat its past mistakes as the situation in the Middle East is very sensitive,” he said.
Noting that U.S. President Donald Trump would be unable to implement all of his planned policies, Qasimi said the U.S. had become “isolated” as a result of its decision to withdraw from the agreement.
EU countries, he said, thanks to their close ties with the U.S., should work to correct Trump’s Iran policy and advise him on Asia and the Middle East policymaking.
Russia and China, he added, should also work on convincing the U.S. president to remain a party to the nuclear deal.
“What Trump must understand… is that returning to the nuclear agreement is his best option,” Qasimi asserted.
“What’s more, the U.S. should abandon its sanctions policy, because such political maneuvering only hurts its reputation,” he said.
In mid-2015, Iran signed a landmark nuclear deal with the P5+1 group of nations (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany).
The agreement placed tight restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for billions of dollars in sanctions relief.
In May of this year, however, Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from the agreement, which he had earlier described as the “worst deal ever”.
The move drew widespread criticism among the agreement’s other signatories.
Washington then re-imposed sanctions on Iran, which primarily target the country’s banking sector.
The sanctions are intended to hinder Tehran’s acquisition of U.S. currency; its precious metals trade; bank transactions denominated in Iranian currency; activities related to Iran’s sovereign debt; and the country’s automotive sector.
—AA
by admin | May 25, 2021 | World
Washington : US State Secretary Mike Pompeo has named Stephen Biegun to be the new special envoy for North Korea.
The appointment on Thursday aims to fill key posts regarding the Korean Peninsula so as to facilitate issues like bilateral negotiations over denuclearization, peace regime and economic sanctions, among others.
In a speech to the media at a press conference, Pompeo said Biegun’s joining is “timely” as the two of them will travel to North Korea next week “to make further diplomatic progress towards our objective”, Xinhua news agency reported.
“As the special representative, Steve will lead negotiations and spearhead diplomatic efforts with our allies and partners,” Pompeo said, noting that “using diplomacy to resolve the North Korean security threat once and for all remains one of President Donald Trump’s greatest priorities, and Steve is eminently qualified for the task and clear-eyed in the challenge before us.”
For his part, Biegun said he fully understands the importance of this job.
“The issues are tough, and they will be tough to resolve,” he said. “But the President has created an opening, and it’s one that we must take by seizing every possible opportunity to realize the vision for a peaceful future for the people of North Korea.”
“This begins with the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea as agreed by Chairman Kim Jong Un at the summit with President Trump in Singapore,” he added.
Biegun is to continue the mission of Joseph Yun, who resigned from his post earlier this year for personal reasons.
US media outlets reported that the departure of Yun, who has been supportive of solving the Korean Peninsula issues through dialogue, was due to his long disappointment over the Trump administration’s provocations against North Korea, and diplomats’ lacking of speaking in the government’s decision-making process.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration also appointed Harry Harris, former commander of US Pacific Command, to become US ambassador to South Korea.
US National Security Advisor John Bolton said earlier on August 19 that Pompeo would leave for a trip to North Korea for the fourth visit since he assumed the current office, adding that Washington expects Pompeo to meet with the North Korea’s top leader Kim Jong-un.
“To move on with the process of denuclearization remains our highest priority,” said Bolton, adding that “it’s important that they (North Korea) demonstrate seriousness” in this regard.
Bolton said earlier last month that Washington has had a plan to dismantle the majority of North Korea’s nuke and ballistic missile programs, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will be discussing it with Pyongyang while visiting the country.
However, State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said the State Department will not provide a timeline for Pyongyang’s abandonment of nuclear and missile program.
Pompeo has visited North Korea three times, respectively in April, May and July.
Trump on August 20 said he would “most likely” meet with Kim for a second time.
He also said that he believed Pyongyang had taken specific steps toward denuclearization, and that he has “great chemistry” with Kim.
In the joint statement after the June 12 Trump-Kim meeting in Singapore, Trump committed to provide security guarantees to North Korea, while Kim reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to a complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
The two leaders also agreed to commit to establish new US-North Korea relations, and to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the peninsula.
According to the website of Ford Motor Company, Biegun has been its vice president of International Governmental Affairs, overseeing “all aspects of Ford’s international governmental relations, including trade strategy and political risk assessment.”
Before joining Ford, Biegun worked in the White House from 2001 to 2003 as executive secretary of the National Security Council. He served as a senior staff member to former National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice. He also served for 14 years as a foreign policy advisor to members of both the House of Representatives and the US Senate.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Washington : The US declared it is ready to support, facilitate and participate in direct negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban, on the occasion of the Afghan government’s announcement on Sunday of a conditional three-month ceasefire with the Taliban.
“This plan responds to the clear and continued call of the Afghan people for peace,” the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement.
“The United States and our international partners support this initiative by the Afghan people and the Afghan government, and we call on the Taliban to participate,” he added, saying that his country also supports Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s offer “for comprehensive negotiations on a mutually agreed agenda.”
“It is our hope, and that of the international community, that the Afghan people may celebrate Eid al-Adha (Festival of Sacrifice) this year in peace, free from fear,” he said.
Pompeo recalled that the last ceasefire in the Asian country revealed “the deep desire” of the Afghan people to end the conflict and said the US hopes that “another ceasefire will move the country closer to sustainable security,” Efe reported.
President Ghani on Sunday, the day Afghanistan was celebrating the 99th anniversary of its independence from British rule, announced a conditional three-month ceasefire with the Taliban, beginning on Monday ahead of Eid al-Adha, provided the insurgents reciprocate.
After the Taliban’s surprise three-day ceasefire in mid-June on the occasion of the Muslim Festival of Sacrifice, Gani has now proclaimed a ceasefire that would be the longest since the US invasion in 2001.
—IANS
