Arab press: US movements to deter Turkey in NE, Syria; Global movements to lift sanctions on Damascus

On Wednesday, Arab newspapers touched upon the contradictory US-Turkish moves in Syria, in addition to the Syrian economic situation, as well as the Tunisian crisis. 'US reinforcements to northern and eastern Syria.'

The beginning is with the Syrian issue, and in this context, Asharq al-Awsat newspaper said: "The American forces conducted a series of movements in northern and eastern Syria aimed at" deterring "Turkey and preventing it from carrying out an incursion in the east of the Euphrates.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said yesterday, that “the American forces brought reinforcements of armored vehicles and tanks to their military base in al-Malikiyah (Derik) in Hasakah countryside, and a single patrol also conducted a single patrol on the border strip in the region, and had brought similar reinforcements to the same base within 48 hours The last one, amid news of the Americans ’intention to establish a new base for them in the countryside of al-Malikiyah (Derik) at the triangle of the Syrian-Turkish-Iraqi borders."

The newspaper linked the American moves, with Turkey’s announcement of its intention to launch a military operation to control the border strip there.

'International movement to lift the sanctions on Damascus'

In its turn, Al-Arab newspaper said: “An international movement has emerged in the recent period, pushing for the adoption of the option of lifting or easing sanctions on the Syrian regime. It was launched from the corridors of the United Nations Human Rights Council, and extended to discussions between Western leaders, especially between France and the United States about correctness. This step and its implications. "

Since 2012, Syria has suffered from economic sanctions imposed by both the United States and the European Union to force the regime of President Bashar al-Assad to change its way of dealing with the crisis and accept a true democratic transition in Syria.

The US Caesar Law, which was activated last June, strengthened the sanctions that affected the circle surrounding Assad, Syrian businessmen and the Central Bank, with the aim of increasing pressure on Damascus, which has not shown any intention to concede, while the suffering of the Syrian people, who are more than 80 in A percent of it is below the poverty line, according to the United Nations.

The Syrian dissident residing in the United States, Ayman Abdel-Nour, told Al-Arab: "There is a change in the international approach towards sanctions in Syria, which was reflected in several positions and steps that do not appear to be spontaneous, but rather central planning for them."

These moves first began when the independent human rights expert at the United Nations, Alina Dohan, called for the lifting of the sanctions imposed on Damascus, as they "may impede efforts to rebuild the civilian infrastructure destroyed by the war."

"When the first sanctions were announced under the Caesar Law, the United States confirmed that it does not intend to harm the Syrians," the expert, who hails from Belarus, said in a speech on December 29, adding, "However, the implementation of the law may exacerbate the humanitarian crisis." This deprives the Syrian people of the opportunity for reconstruction.

The statements of the UN official at the time caused an uproar in Syria and abroad, in light of the belief at first glance that this was a spontaneous move by her before other indications appeared to question the matter, and Abdel Nour says in this context, “French President Emmanuel Macron recently urged Christian clerics to send a message He and his US counterpart, Joe Biden, to demand the lifting of sanctions.

"This was achieved when senior clerics in Syria and Lebanon contacted Christian organizations from countries around the world, especially from France, Switzerland and Britain, which signed the request to lift the sanctions," the Syrian dissident added.

Abdel Nour pointed out that Macron's motives for adopting the approach to reduce the impact of sanctions on Damascus are many, among them his awareness that the Beirut port cannot be rebuilt and operated under the Caesar Law, which imposed sanctions on many Syrian companies closely related to Lebanon, and the French President believes that Caesar impedes the participation of French companies in the reconstruction of Syria.

It is known that the Syrian and Lebanese economies are organically linked, and each side greatly affects the other, and Macron has been striving - since the explosion of the Beirut port on August 4, which exacerbated Lebanon's financial crisis - to revive this country and return it to the path of stability.

It is not unlikely that there will be joint French-American coordination on the issue of sanctions on Syria, and the Syrian opposition said that the United States, in its turn, has begun to review the sanctions option, which is clearly evident in the US President’s request to the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Defense and Treasury in cooperation with the US Agency for Development to present a study on the impact of economic sanctions on countries and their repercussions on those countries' battle with Covid-19.

Abdel Nour pointed out that on the 11th of this month, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, directed the formation of a three-person committee, headed by Bill Engdon, the president of the Norwegian Refugee Council who has an office in Damascus and has a close relationship with the Syrian regime, to re-examine how the aid is distributed. The humanitarian community inside Syria, provided that the report is completed within three months.

Observers believe that discussing the lifting or freezing of sanctions is apparently intended to relieve embarrassment for Western countries, especially since these sanctions were the ones that hurt the Syrian people, while the regime does not seem much interested in this, and it is not going to change its behavior.

In its statements to Al-Arab, Abdel-Nour explained that “the decision to lift or freeze sanctions for a period will require several months to implement it,” pointing to the presence of a move by the Syrian community in the United States to press for this approach to be conditional on a set of demands, perhaps including “keeping the sanctions on the corrupt and criminals. And those whose hands are stained with blood from the Syrian regime,” that sanctions remain on weapons and that aid is distributed through the United Nations so that it is not stolen or sold by thugs."

'Protests in Tunisia reach Parliament'

On the Tunisian issue, Al-Bayan newspaper said: “The protests extended in Tunisia yesterday, and the crowds of protesters headed to the parliament building, while voting was underway on a cabinet reshuffle in the government of Hisham El-Mechichi, while security personnel took the initiative to block roads in the region.

Some protesters crossed the struck security barrier around Parliament, in order to reach Bardo Square, adjacent to Parliament.

The protests began in the popular neighborhood of Tadamon, west of the Tunisian capital, which witnessed the largest night protests last week. The protesters raised slogans expressing the rejection of the entire political system in Tunisia, while they raised slogans of an economic and social nature, in order to express their dissatisfaction with the acute crisis in The outraged people also demanded the release of those who were recently arrested, against the backdrop of nightly protests, and they are being accused of involvement in acts of sabotage in the country.

A number of deputies condemned the security cordon imposed on the parliament’s headquarters, considering it an attempt to prevent the people from joining with their representatives, and a mass march moved from Ibn Khaldoun, the largest popular neighborhood in the capital Tunis, towards Bardo where Parliament, while many cities witnessed protest marches similar to Sousse, Gafsa, El Kaf and Sbeita.

The head of the Free Destourian Party in Tunisia, Abeer Moussa, expressed her support for the popular protests in the country, saying that it is indispensable for the withdrawal of confidence from the Mechanic government in order to pave the way for reform.

Tunisian Prime Minister Hisham El-Mechichi said in a speech before parliament during a vote to give confidence to the broad ministerial amendment that he had made, that “the defect in the government must be fixed,” considering that “the crisis can be remedied.”

Al-Mechichi admitted that the political situation in the country is "turbulent", but stressed that "the incitement to destruction and its use as a means of pressure does not benefit anything and harm the country."

T/S

ANHA