MESOPOTAMIA NEWS INSIGHT : Iran Faces Challenges as it Tries to Invest in Syria

Thursday March 25th, 2021 by SOWT AL-ASIMA (Opposition website) – Iran has been left frustrated over its share of the Syrian “pie,” according to Sowt Al-Asima.

French newspaper Le Monde wrote about Iran falling short in Syria, in two ways: one is economic, centered around it making up for the billions of dollars it spent in Syria over a decade for the benefit of the Syrian regime; and the other is related to its failure to continue providing financial support to the militias it brought into Syria.

Le Monde pointed out that Iran, at the beginning of its military intervention in favor of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, did not pay attention to the actual cost it was incurring, spending billions of dollars by summoning top military figures and mobilizing elite units from its militias (the Quds Force and Hezbollah) in Syria.

The newspaper said that Iran has been thinking of compensating for what it has lost through amassing large financial returns by investing in Syria.

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MESOPOTAMIA NEWS QUESTIONS : PUTIN PRIORITIZES SYRIA. BIDEN SHOULD TOO.

by Anna Borshchevskaya Georgetown Journal of International Affairs March 24, 2021

Moscow has intensified its military deployments in sensitive areas and continued its counterproductive diplomatic track, exhibiting a long-game mindset that Washington needs to match.

Neither massive domestic protests and economic woes, nor the pandemic and growing upheavals on Russia’s borders have stopped Russian president Vladimir Putin from increasing Russia’s presence in Syria on military and diplomatic fronts. Over the years, Russian officials made no secret of their preference for American forces to leave the country. Moscow is in Syria for the long haul and continues to indirectly undermine US efforts there.

Growing Presence in Northeastern Syria

Starting in late December 2020, amid a backdrop of a presidential transition in the United States—a time the Kremlin will always use to test Washington—Vladimir Putin began increasing the Russian presence in northeastern Syria, a mixed Kurdish-Arab zone that borders Turkey and Iraq. Approximately three hundred Russian military police arrived at Hassakeh, a Kurdish-majority province in the northeast. Moscow reportedly deployed additional units to Qamishili and the town of Ain Issa in Raqqa, amidst growing fighting in that area. More broadly, these deployments come against a backdrop of friction over the summer between Russian and American troops in eastern Syria.

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MESOPOTAMIA NEWS : NOTHING FROM BRUSSELS !

European Council report presents roadmap for EU-Turkey ties

Ahead of a European Council summit this week, a report by EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell laid out a roadmap to deepen bilateral trade despite recent setbacks in Ankara’s human rights record, while outlining economic sanctions should more turbulence arise.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the EU Council President Charles Michel hold a video conference call with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Brussels on March 19, 2021. The call comes as the two neighbors seek to make good on improved ties after a spike in tensions last year over maritime claims in the Eastern Mediterranean. The leaders of the EU’s 27 member states are set to discuss the state of relations with Ankara as one of the issues at their summit in Brussels next week.

Diego Cupolo – March 23, 2021 – AL MONITOR – ISTANBUL —

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MESOPOTAMIA NEWS :  KHAMENEI CONTINUES PLAYING HARDBALL IN NOWRUZ SPEECH

by Omer Carmi  – PolicyWatch 3455 March 22, 2021

Far from compromising his nuclear position, the Supreme Leader keeps asserting that Iran can neutralize sanctions and solve its economic challenges on its own, both by leveraging domestic capabilities and demonstrating the people’s supposed electoral support for the regime.

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s annual Nowruz address is usually an indicator of his thinking on domestic and foreign affairs. In contrast to last year’s grim, unusual speech—which focused on the pandemic with no reference to foreign policy issues—this year’s address provided many signals to foreign and domestic audiences.

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MESOPOTAMIA NEWS : Russian foreign minister’s visit aimed at challenging US influence in Gulf

Kirill Semenov AL MONITOR  22 March 2021

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s visit to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar on March 9-11 took place against the backdrop of uncertainty among these states about their future relations with the new US administration, which is rethinking many of President Donald Trump’s approaches to Middle East affairs. Amid this context, Moscow is seeking to remind the leading Arab monarchies of its readiness to fill the possible “void” that could arise if their ties with Washington stagnate, both in the security sphere and in the military-technical and military-political spheres.

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MESOPOTAMIA NEWS INTEL BY MEIR AMIT CENTER / ISRAEL – Spotlight on Iran

March 7, 2021 – March 21, 2021Editor: Dr. Raz Zimmt
Overview
  • Two fighters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) were killed in a mine explosion in al-Mayadin, eastern Syria.
  • The advisor on foreign affairs to the supreme leader of Iran met with the incoming Syrian ambassador to Tehran and passed on the wishes of speedy recovery from the supreme leader of Iran to the Syrian president, who recently contracted COVID-19. He also offered the ambassador to send an Iranian medical team to Damascus to take care of President Assad.
  • In an extraordinary statement, a former Iranian Majlis member stated that it can not be ruled out that Syria will change its approach toward Iran is the future, and hence Iran must not place all its eggs in President Assad’s basket. His statement was made against the backdrop of Iran’s exclusion from a meeting between the foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia and Qatar in Doha, which convened to discuss the crisis in Syria.
  • The Iranian ambassador to Baghdad met with the Iraqi minister of finance and discussed the issue of releasing Iranian funds frozen in Iraqi banks due to Western sanctions. Prior to this, Iranian President Rouhani spoke to the Iraqi Prime Minister al-Kazimi and called on him to act to immediately unfreeze the Iranian funds held in Iraq, which constitute a part of the Iraqi debt to Iran for the import of electricity and gas.
  • In a letter to the UN secretary general, the Iranian ambassador to the UN denied any Iranian involvement in the attacks recently carried out against American targets in Iraq, which were attributed to Iranian-backed Iraqi Shia militias. The ambassador condemned the airstrikes carried out by the United States along the Syria-Iraq border on February 25.
  • Esmail Qa’ani, the Commander of the IRGC’s Qods Force, stated in a commemoration ceremony in the city of Mashhad that Israel is forced to wall itself off to protect itself, and warned “the Zionists” that they should know that this wall too will be destroyed. Qa’ani also declared that the successors of Qasem Soleimani “will break the Americans’ bones.”
Iranian Involvement in Syria
  •  Two IRGC fighters were killed in a mine explosion in the al-Mayadin area in eastern Syria. Iranian media reported that the two fallen fighters are Mehdi Bakhtiari from Eslamshahr in Tehran Province, and Mojtaba Barsanji from Savadkouh in the Mazandaran Province of northern Iran (Fars, March 16).
Mehdi Bakhtiari (right) and Mojtaba Barsanji (left), who were killed in (Syria Jehan News, March 16 , 2021)
Mehdi Bakhtiari (right) and Mojtaba Barsanji (left), who were killed in
(Syria Jehan News, March 16 , 2021)
  • On March 15, the Adviser on Foreign Affairs to the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali-Akbar Velayati met with the incoming Syrian Ambassador to Tehran, Shafiq Dayoud, and passed on wishes of speedy recovery from the supreme leader to the President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, who recently contracted COVID-19. Velayati stated that the Supreme Leader of Iran, Khamenei, sees Assad as one of the greatest and most admirable leaders within his country, the region and the “resistance front.” He expressed Iran’s willingness to send to Damascus a special and experienced medical team to treat the president of Syria. The Syrian ambassador congratulated the supreme leader of Iran, the Iranian people and government, on the occasion of the Iranian New Year (Nowruz), and thanked Khamenei for his wishes of good health to President Assad. He called for expanding ties between Iran and Syria in all spheres, stressed Iran’s important role in the “resistance axis” and expressed hope for additional victories, which will usher the defeat of the “American and Zionist forces” and lead to their expulsion (ISNA, March 15).
  • The March 11 meeting between the Turkish, Russian and Qatari foreign ministers in Doha, which discussed ending the crisis in Syria, aroused criticism in Iran, which was not invited to the gathering. The website Iranian Diplomacy argued (March 12) that the meeting of the three foreign ministers in Doha may exclude Iran from the negotiations to settle the war in Syria. In an interview to this website (March 12), the former Majlis Member and commentator on political and international affairs, Jalal Mirzaei, stated that Qatar, Russia and Turkey do not want and can not ignore Iran’s role in shaping Syria’s future, and that the Astana Talks to settle the war in Syria (in which Iran is included) plays a central role in shaping developments on the ground in the country. He remarked that he does not justify excluding Iran from the meeting, but that this omission does not indicate ignoring Iran’s role in Syria on the part of Qatar, Turkey and Russia. He stressed that any meeting held without Iranian presence can not be fruitful, and that it is important to ensure that conditions do not emerge in the region in a way that would lead to ignoring Iran in shaping the political map in Syria and the entire region, which will lead to a curtailment of Iran’s regional influence.
  • Mirzaei added that over the past decade, Russia and Turkey adopted different approaches than the Iranian one concerning Syria’s future and the Assad government, and that even as part of the Astana Talks, disagreements arose between the three countries, although all of them wish to see an end to the war in Syria, and the return of stability and security to the country. When addressing the possibility that President Assad himself may change his approach toward Iran, Mirzaei stated that this scenario can not be ruled out, although thus far, Bashar al-Assad did not adopt any steps that may indicate an intention to halt cooperation with Iran. He added, however, that Iran should not place all of its eggs in Syria in one basket and become dependent on the survival of Assad alone. Such a policy is irrational and impractical, he argued.
  • In an official response to the meeting of the three foreign ministers in Doha, the Spokesman of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Saeed Khatibzadeh, stated that Iran’s position vis-à-vis Syria is crystal clear. During his weekly press conference Khatibzadeh remarked that the Astana Talks are the most successful negotiations track concerning the Syrian file, and that the meeting in Doha was intended to supplement it and not replace it (ISNA, March 15).
  • The Syrian pro-opposition website Sada al-Sharqiya reported (March 17) that the pro-Iranian militias based in the Albu Kamal region have recently began using civilian cars to move their forces between these towns and from and to the Syria-Iraq border. The use of civilian cars (agricultural vehicles or rented taxis) instead of military vehicles, is intended to prevent air strikes by Israel or the United States. According to this report, the militias pay the car owners for their use, and also provide them with documents allowing them to pass unhindered through the checkpoints located in the area.
  • On March 15, the Iranian Ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, met with a parliamentary delegation of Hezbollah members, which visited Moscow in mid-March. The sides discussed developments in Lebanon, Syria and the “resistance front.” The Iranian ambassador stressed Iran’s support for Hezbollah and the “resistance axis,” and declared that steadfastness and resistance are the only way to defeat the “Zionist enemy.” The head of the Hezbollah delegation, the Lebanese parliament member Mohammad Raad, thanked Iran for its support for the organization, and stressed the need to persist in the path of resistance until “the final victory.” The meeting was held in the Iranian embassy in Moscow in the presence of Shawki Bou Nassar, the Lebanese ambassador to Russia (Tasnim, March 16).
Iranian Involvement in Iraq
  •  On March 8, the Iranian Ambassador to Baghdad, Iraj Masjedi, met with the Iraqi Minister of Finance, Abdul-Amir Allawi, and discussed the unfreezing of Iranian funds held in Iraq. The Iraqi minister of finance said that paying out Iran’s fund is at the top of the priorities for Iraq (ILNA, March 8).
  • On March 6, the Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani, spoke with the Iraqi Prime Minister, Mustafa al-Kazimi, and complained about the delays in releasing the Iranian funds in Iraq, and called on them to be unfrozen immediately (ISNA, March 6). An Iraqi official was quoted by the al-Jazeera network (March 5) stating that the United States permitted to use some of the Iranian funds held in the Trade Bank of Iraq (TBI) to finance purchasing of humanitarian goods. Senior Iraqi officials told al-Jazeera (March 8) that Iraq is willing to repay Iran its debts in Iraqi dinars, but Iran is demanding that they be paid back in dollars. A Member of the Board of Governors of the Iranian-Iraqi Joint Chamber of Commerce, Hamid Hosseini, reported that the United States gave the green light for the release of only three billion dollars out of the Iranian funds frozen in Iraq, South Korea and Oman. According to Iran, Iranian accounts in the Trade Bank of Iraq hold about 3.5 billion dollars, which make up a share of the debts of the Iraqi government to Iran for the import of electricity and gas (Fars, March 8). Iran has not yet provided an official confirmation concerning the unfreezing of some of the funds.
  • The Iranian Ambassador to the UN, Majid Takht Rayanchi, denied in a letter to the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, any Iranian involvement in the attacks carried out recently against American targets in Iraq. The letter was sent in a response to a letter sent by the US ambassador to the UN on February 27, to the president of the UN Security Council, which accused Iranian-back Iraqi militias for the attacks against American forces in Iraq. In his letter, Takht Ravanchi claimed that Iran was never involved, directly or indirectly, in any attack against the United States in Iraq, and that any effort to attribute such attacks to it is baseless and lacks any legal grounding. The letter also condemned the military strikes carried out by the United States along the Syria-Iraq border on February 25, which according to Iran, represents a violation of the sovereignty of the countries of the region, as well as international law, and serves the interests of the terrorist groups operating in these countries (IRNA, March 15).
  • The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs passed to the review of the government a proposal to abrogate the visa requirements between Iraq and Iran. The proposal was forwarded following an initial agreement reached between the governments of the two countries on this matter. The discussion of the proposal was forwarded to the Committee on Political and Security Affairs of the Iranian Cabinet (IRNA, March 14). Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Organization of Iran announced on March 14 the suspension of all flights of Iranian and Iraqi airlines from Iran and Iraq for a week. The decision was made in an effort to halt the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, and particularly the British variant of the virus (IRNA, March 14).
  • Iran filed a démarche to the Iraqi government after the authorities at the Kurdistan Regional Government issued a stamp to mark the visit of the Pope to Kurdistan on March 7. The démarche was made after the map of the Kurdistan region as it appeared on the stamp, included regions that are part of Iran, Turkey and Syria. The Spokesman of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Saeed Khatibzadeh, condemned the issuance of the stamp, saying that it is in opposition to international law, and constitutes an “unfriendly step.” Iranian authorities demanded that the Iraqi government confiscate the stamps and immediately rectify them. The Turkish government, too, filed a démarche due to the issuance of the stamp (ISNA, March 10).
The stamp issued following the Pope’s visit to Iraqi Kurdistan (ISNA, March 10 , 2021)
The stamp issued following the Pope’s visit to Iraqi Kurdistan
(ISNA, March 10 , 2021)

MESOPOTAMIA NEWS REPORT : Israeli & Emirati Companies Sign Deal to Bring Greentech Innovation to Region

By Eliana Rudee – 8 Nisan 5781 – March 20, 2021 JEWISH PRESS

In the footsteps of the Abraham Accords, a recently signed partnership between two Israeli and Emirati entities aims to bring greentech innovation to the Gulf region and to Israel.

The deal between Gulf-Israel Green Ventures (GIGV) and the UAE’s United Stars Group aims to expand people-to-people, business and economic cooperation through the exchange of green technologies—solutions that promote sustainability by mitigating the negative environmental impacts of development. These include reducing the use and depletion of resources through water recycling, energy-efficient buildings and renewable energy.

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MESOPOTAMIA NEWS DEUTSCHLAND DEBATE : Die Welt retten durch den eigenen Untergang?

Zur Ambivalenz des Dekadenzbegriffes  –  Von  Alexander Meschnig

Dekadenz, so erklären uns die Aufgeklärten und Progressiven, gibt es nicht. Als wichtigster Beweis dafür gilt, dass sie seit jeher beklagt wird. Von antiken Denkern bis hin zu zeitgenössischen Kulturpessimisten: Jede Generation wirft der Nachfolgenden vor, dekadent zu sein. Die Klagen über den Verfall und den Abstieg der Gegenwart sind also ein zeitloser Gemeinplatz. Aber verliert der Vorwurf der Dekadenz dadurch an Glaubwürdigkeit?

Dekadenz ist ein ursprünglich geschichtsphilosophischer Begriff. Insbesondere die ab 1776 herausgegebenen sechs Bände von Edward Gibbons, History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, haben den Begriff in der westlichen Debatte geprägt. Zwar beschreibt Gibbon in seinem voluminösen Werk den Untergang des Römischen Reiches, für den er vor allem das Christentum verantwortlich macht, aber zugleich bewertet er auch das England der Gegenwart als vom Verfall bedroht. Im Prinzip folgt seine Schrift dem klassischen Dekadenzmodell wie es seit der Antike immer wieder beschrieben wurde. Alle griechischen, römischen aber auch biblischen Autoren waren sich in der Erklärung des Abstiegs ihrer Kulturen einig: der Verfall ist die unmittelbare Folge eines lange anhaltenden Wohllebens, das eine Gesellschaft mit wachsendem Reichtum auszeichnet. Im Eigentlichen meint Dekadenz deshalb den Verlust der Anspannung, einer Anspannung, die in der Phase des eigenen Aufstieges notwendig war um sich, meist militärisch, zu behaupten. Die Härte der Bedingungen zwingt zur Entfaltung aller Kräfte, die Lebensumstände verbessern sich allmählich, aber Reichtum und Macht führen letztendlich zu einer Art Umkehr: An die Stelle der Selbstbehauptung tritt die Langeweile, statt Härte nur noch Verweichlichung und am Ende eine selbstzerstörerische Hybris. Insbesondere der Luxus in den Städten gilt bei den klassischen Autoren als Grund für Sorglosigkeit und Bequemlichkeit. Der griechische Philosoph Pythagoras betont nicht umsonst ihre degenerierende Wirkung und zieht eine direkte Linie der gesellschaftlichen Entwicklung: Überfluss, Überdruss, Übermut, Untergang. Diese einfache Folge steht im Zentrum jeder Zivilisationskritik.

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MESOPOTAMIA NEWS : An unusual controversy unfolded between Israel and its new peace partner in the Gulf, the United Arab Emirates

An Israeli election, the UAE and a controversy: Tracking press reports – by Seth Frantzman  19 March 2021

In one week in March, from March 10-19, an unusual controversy unfolded between Israel and its new peace partner in the Gulf, the United Arab Emirates. It appeared to begin on March 11 when Netanyahu cancelled a trip to the United Arab Emirates, the fourth cancellation since September 2020. According to reports the Kingdom of Jordan had refused Netanyahu’s request to fly through the Kingdom. Then another controversy developed around March 17 as it appeared Netanyahu wanted to go to the UAE at the last moment before the Israeli election. The trip was also called off, leading to accusations that the UAE was frustrated by being used as an election prop.

Here is a look at the developing press reports.

March 10

AP: Netanyahu to visit Abu Dhabi on first official trip.

Israel’s Channel 12 TV said Netanyahu would spend two hours in the UAE, entirely at an Abu Dhabi airport.

March 11

Jordan refuses Netanyahu access to airspace for UAE trip.

NOTE: Jordan had snubbed Netanyahu’s calls according to June 2020 reports.

Details about the cancelled trip. More details here. Rumors had persisted that Netanyahu might meet Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince on the trip.

TOI: Rather than taking an Israeli jet, Netanyahu had arranged for an Emirati plane to shuttle him to the UAE — apparently due to security reasons.

Israel HaYom: “Netanyahu’s scheduled visit to the United Arab Emirates was held up on Thursday morning when Jordan announced it would not allow Netanyahu’s aircraft to cross its airspace en route to the United Arab Emirates…was a response to Israel’s decision to cancel a visit to the Temple Mount that had been scheduled for Jordanian Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah on Wednesday over disagreements about security protocols…’high-ranking Israeli political officials and former Israeli security officials cooperated with Amman to torpedo Netanyahu’s visit to the UAE, after Prince Hussein’s visit to the Temple Mount was called off.'”

NOTE: Why would Israel cancel a high profile Jordanian visit the day before the Prime Minister knew he would need to use Jordan’s airspace? Why did Netanyahu need to land in Jordan on the way to the UAE? Rumors said that Netanyahu remained in Israel due to a medical procedure for his wife, and that Jordan was a preferred route to stay further from Houthi threats over Saudi Arabia, or because he would use a private plane from Amman, not an Israeli aircraft. Supporters of Netanyahu claimed that the US or Netanyahu’s political opponents conspired to stop the trip. The trip was only supposed to last a few hours because political leaders from Hungary and Czech Republic were due in Israel the same day. Defense Minister Benny Gantz reportedly met Jordan’s King in February. On March 2 “Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi met with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi on Tuesday at the Allenby Crossing.”

Bloomberg: Netanyahu says that UAE will invest $10 billion in Israel.

March 13

TOI: Jordan’s Foreign Minister confirms to CNN that Jordan held up the trip. “You renege on an agreement with Jordan, you disrupt a religious visit, you create conditions that made this religious visit on a holy occasion impossible and then you expect to come to Jordan and fly out of Jordan? Let’s be serious here,” Safadi said.

March 15

TOI Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has intervened to prevent Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi from traveling to the United Arab Emirates on Monday to inaugurate Israel’s new missions in the Gulf country, Channel 12 reported Sunday. Sources in the Foreign Ministry said Netanyahu blocked the visit because “he didn’t want the foreign minister to travel there before he does.” “Due to personal and election considerations, Netanyahu is torpedoing an important diplomatic journey and delaying the opening of the Israeli missions in Abu Dhabi and Dubai,” an unnamed official told the outlet.

March 17

Jpost: “An Emirati source said that the government is preparing for a meeting between Netanyahu and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in the UAE’s capital on Wednesday or Thursday.”

Anwar Gargash: “From the UAE’s perspective, the purpose of the Abrahamic Accords is to provide a robust strategic foundation to foster peace and prosperity with the State of Israel and in the wider region. The UAE will not be a part in any internal electioneering in Israel, now or ever.”

Jpost: “The United Arab Emirates rejected attempts by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to squeeze in his first trip to the Gulf state before Tuesday’s election…However, Emirati sources told The Jerusalem Post otherwise on Tuesday, and Netanyahu’s schedule had been cleared of political events on Thursday. The Prime Minister’s Office and the Likud campaign did not deny reports the prime minister was planning such a trip, though neither did they confirm it.”

Jpost: “Netanyahu has repeatedly referred to the investment in recent days, saying that it is an expression of bin Zayed’s confidence in the prime minister’s economic policies.In response to questions about the planned investment, Jaber told the UAE news site The National that the fund is “commercially driven and not politically associated.”

The National: “Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, said on Tuesday that the UAE’s announcement to study the investment prospects of $10 billion in Israel is “commercially driven and not politically associated”, and was in line with the UAE’s track record of looking for investment opportunities across the world.”

Barak Ravid: It is hard to overstate the anger towards Netanyahu in the UAE right now

March 18

AFP and TOI “The United Arab Emirates has reportedly suspended plans for a summit at which it was to host Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, senior US officials and the heads of Arab states that have normalized relations with Israel, amid a diplomatic tiff over the Israeli premier’s attempted use of Abu Dhabi as a stop on the campaign trail. According to the Thursday report by the Yedioth Ahronoth daily, the summit had been set to take place in Abu Dhabi in April but has now been shelved after Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed was angered by what he reportedly perceived as Netanyahu’s endeavor to use the Gulf nation for electioneering.”

AFP and TOI: “The UAE was reportedly reluctant to agree to host him last week, because of concerns that this would be perceived as election interference, and Netanyahu was said to have deployed Mossad chief Yossi Cohen, who overcame their reservations.”

Walla and Barak Ravid: The head of the Mossad, Yossi Cohen, sat in Abu Dhabi for three consecutive days, with all his energy invested in receiving a green light from the Emirates’ national security adviser, Sheikh Tahanon Ben Zaid, for Netanyahu’s visit. All the details in my article.

Axios: “The last straw was an interview Netanyahu gave… in which he claimed MBZ “volunteered” to invest $10 billion in Israel… Netanyahu even claimed MBZ told him that he believes in his economic leadership”

March 18

UAE suspends summit. “The summit was scheduled to take place in April in Abu Dhabi, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken set to be in attendance. Officials from Sudan and Israel were also going to take part in a formal signing ceremony…”

AP: ‘Honeymoon is over’ between UAE and Israel. “The honeymoon ended quickly,” Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a prominent Emirati political scientist, tweeted on Thursday.

Israeli media reported that Netanyahu deprived his political rival of the visit because he wanted to be the first Israeli leader to be photographed at a ceremony in the UAE.

Ynet’s Ben-Dror Yemini said unnamed Emirati officials told him they were stunned by the decision to cancel Ashkenazi’s visit.“Netanyahu’s action is a negative sign,” Yemini wrote. “It may get [the Emiratis] to look at Israel slightly less positively.”

Hadas Gold and CNN: The United Arab Emirates has publicly distanced itself from Benjamin Netanyahu over concerns the Israeli Prime Minister was using Abu Dhabi to boost his prospects in upcoming Israeli elections.The diplomatic spat comes just six months after a historic normalization agreement, known as the Abraham Accords, was signed between the two countries.”The UAE signed the Accords for the hope and opportunities they provide our people, not individual leaders,” an Emirati official told CNN.

Shimrit Meir at Ynet: “Opinion: The Emiratis’ reluctance to host the prime minister days before Israel goes to the polls was open acknowledgement that there is a new man in the White House, and even if Israel can’t see it, Trumpian stunts will not sit well with him.”

March 19

KAN and Guy Britzman “The Financial Times: Israeli officials say – in the UAE they have reduced official contacts with Israel in protest of Netanyahu’s attempts to involve them in the election campaign. According to them, the emirates “were upset that he leaked the visit plans, which were sold to them as a discreet discussion of Iranian aggression.”

FT It was reported that “the relationship between the Emirates and Israeli elements has been reduced to a minimum at least until all elections and the formation of the government are completed.”

INN: “Emirates distancing itself from Netanyahu.”

Walla’s Barak Ravid: “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu managed to anger MBZ and make him decide that until the election, and perhaps for a considerable period after that, he will not set foot in Abu Dhabi, according to three Israeli and Western sources. A summit with Sudan and Antony Blinken was also cancelled….The date of the summit was supposed to be in early April, but on Wednesday the emirates informed the White House that in light of Netanyahu’s conduct and his use of them in his election campaign, they are suspending the summit until further notice.”

TOI on CNN: An official from the United Arab Emirates appeared to criticize Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid a diplomatic tiff over the premier’s attempted use of Abu Dhabi as a stop on the campaign trail, saying the normalization deal was not made for the benefit of individual leaders. “The UAE signed the Accords for the hope and opportunities they provide our people, not individual leaders,” the Emirati official told CNN on Thursday.

Seth Frantzman | March 19, 2021

www.mesop.de

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MESOPOTAMIA NEWS INTEL : Biden’s CIA Director and Iran

By Erfan FardMarch 14, 2021 – ISRAEL – BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 1,965,

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: On February 24, 2021, William J. Burns was confirmed as Joe Biden’s new CIA director. The Iranian mullahs want to use terrorism to coerce Biden into lifting the crippling sanctions imposed by Donald Trump, and wish to continue their covert pursuit of nuclear weapons. Burns is an experienced professional and he is fully aware of the true nature of the Islamic regime.

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