Arab press: Violations in Syrian regime jails to fore again, Western firmness pushes Turkey to retreat

On Monday morning, the Arab press touched upon the violations in the prisons of the Syrian government, in addition to the Turkish-European tension in the eastern Mediterranean, and the Lebanese crisis.

Al-Sharq al-Awsat: The testimony of the Syrian "gravedigger" ... narratives simulating the crimes of Nazism

The Arab newspapers published this morning on the Syrian issue dealt with several topics, the most prominent of which was the stories about violations in the prisons of the Syrian government, and in this context, Al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper said: The testimony of the "gravedigger" he gave in the last 31 session last week of the trial of Syrian officials for war crimes in the western German city of Koblenz caused a lot of shock in the courtroom and among the German journalists who were listening to his testimony, and it brought to their minds many pictures. Familiar here, in a country that still witnesses the stigma of Nazi crimes. "

She added, "One of the pictures that refuses to leave the memory of the Syrian" grave digger "is the body of a woman who was at the bottom of the corpses he was transporting for burial in a mass grave in Damascus, as the woman was still embracing her dead child in her arms.

The "gravedigger" who until that moment had grasped himself, remembers that picture, and collapsed in tears. The German judge in the Koblenz court hearing the man’s testimony is asking for a break while he regains his breath and continues, other pictures, which he says are still stuck in his mind more than others, such as the moment when he saw a man among a pile of hundreds or thousands of bodies, still breathing, Even the Syrian officer in charge ordered that the shovel that was digging mass graves walked over his body, turning a corpse into a pile of corpses. The man, whose name or identity was not revealed by the court, entered the hall in disguise, hiding his face behind a mask that he had not removed for 3 hours, his testimony lasted for 3 hours."

The intended trial is the one in which the former Syrian officer Anwar Raslan and former recruiter Ayad al-Gharib is being tried for crimes against humanity he committed in Syria after the revolution in 2011. This trial, which began nearly four months ago, is the first trial of security officials in the "Syrian regime" who are being tried for crimes war.

The two defendants, Anwar Raslan and Ayad al-Gharib, are the only ones so far who have succeeded in collecting enough files on them, both Syrian and European lawyers and activists, to put them in the bombing of the accusation.

Raslan is accused of being responsible for torturing about 4,000 people, and killing 58 others in the al-Khatib branch in Damascus, while al-Gharib was accused of arresting demonstrators and delivering them to the al-Khatib branch, where they were subjected to torture and sometimes killing.

Al-Arab: European-American packages push Turkey to retreat in the eastern Mediterranean

Regarding the Western-Turkish tension, Al-Arab newspaper said: "Refinitiv data showed that the Turkish exploration vessel Oroç President returned to waters close to the Antalya region, south of Turkey, on Sunday, in a move that might ease tension between Ankara and Athens over the natural resources of the eastern Mediterranean."

Observers believe that "the Turkish retreat from violating the territorial waters of Greece opens the door to a peaceful settlement of the crisis, after Ankara hinted at the military solution that was met by a European stronghold, especially French behind Athens, and weakened the French position against Turkish orgy in European waters and Paris sent an aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean. The margin of maneuver." In Turkey, which is logistically and militarily superior to Greece. "

After the French rush towards Athens, Turkey found itself forced to dialogue with its neighbors and stop its provocations after it took a confrontational approach for months during which it ignored European verbal warnings.

In addition to European logistical support for Athens and the threat of wider economic sanctions against Ankara by the bloc countries, the entry of the United States on the line of crisis exacerbated Turkey's diplomatic isolation.

The American position on the crisis appears in the Mediterranean closer to the Greek-Cypriot-European position, which calls for a halt to gas exploration operations before entering into any talks to settle the crisis, which is manifested by the statements of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Ankara sensed European firmness that breaks with the policy of hesitation that the European Union has adopted in dealing with Turkish ambitions in several files, such as the Libyan and Syrian files, which prompted it, according to observers, to the option of calm that was not on the table soon.

Okaz: Will Adeeb 's government fall into the parliament's test?

On the Lebanese issue, Okaz newspaper said: "24 hours before the end of the French deadline, it is expected that the Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Mustafa Adeeb will present his government formation to President Michel Aoun today (Monday)."

Sources close to the two (Hezbollah and Amal Movement) leaked yesterday (Sunday) direct messages about the fate of the government, stating that if Adeeb presents a ministerial formation without the consent of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Hezbollah, and its decrees were signed by President Aoun, then the confidence session in the House of Representatives, the deputies of their bloc will withdraw, and thus the Shiite Charter will collapse from the government.

While the Lebanese Forces sources reaffirmed, they will not give confidence to this government if it is formed. A few hours before the French deadline expired, Nabih Berri remained clinging to the Finance Ministry until the last breath, and told Adeeb his unwillingness to participate in the government, and justified his lack of participation in yesterday's statement that the problem is not with the French, the problem is internal and from within, and he released one address for the government, the jurisdiction in exchange for disloyalty. Partisan, lack of parliamentary affiliation, veto over ministries, bullying abroad, and failure to launch consultations.

He added, "The Prime Minister-designate informed us of our unwillingness to participate on these grounds in the government, and we informed him of our readiness to cooperate to the fullest extent in all that is necessary for Lebanon's stability and finances, to undertake reforms and save its economy."

The head of the Free Patriotic Movement, MP Gebran Bassil, announced yesterday that "the movement has no desire to participate in the government."

T/S

ANHA