Category: Politics

GENEVA, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk expressed outrage on Tuesday over the destruction of the An Nasser Medical Complex and Al-Shifa Medical Complex, as well as the reported discovery of mass graves in and around these locations.

According to a statement released in Geneva, Turk called for “independent, effective, and transparent investigations” into the deaths, stating, “Given the prevailing climate of impunity, this should include international investigators.” He emphasized that “hospitals are entitled to very special protection under international humanitarian law, and the intentional killing of civilian detainees and others who are hors de combat is a war crime.” Turk reported that the UN Human Rights Office has received reports of unlawful killings of Palestinians in apparent extrajudicial executions, the use of unarmed Palestinians as ‘human shields’ by Israeli Security Forces (ISF), and the detention and ill-treatment of dozens of others.

Turk also condemned the Israeli strikes on Rafah that kil
led mostly children and women, warning against a full-scale incursion into an area where 1.2 million civilians have been forcibly cornered.

The UN Human Rights Chief also condemned the ongoing grave human rights violations in the occupied West Bank, stating that despite international condemnation, settler violence has continued with the support, protection, and participation of the Israeli Security Forces (ISF).

He added that the ISF had inflicted unprecedented and apparently wanton destruction on Nur Shams refugee camp and Tulkarem city and its infrastructure during a 50-hour-long operation starting on April 18. The ISF deployed ground troop bulldozers and drones and sealed the camp. Fourteen Palestinians were killed three of them children.

Turk emphasized that human rights violations and the unspeakable suffering caused by the fighting must end once and for all, stating that those responsible for those atrocities will be held accountable.

“The latest images of a premature child taken from the womb of he
r dying mother, of the adjacent two houses where 15 children and five women were killed – this is beyond warfare,” he added.

“Every 10 minutes a child is killed or wounded. They are protected under the laws of war and yet they are the ones who are disproportionately paying the ultimate price in this war,” said Turk.

The UN Rights Chief stated that according to the authorities in Gaza, as of April 22, 34,151 Palestinians were killed in Gaza, 14,685 were children, and 9,670 were women. Another 77,084 have been injured, and over 7,000 others are assumed to be under the rubble.

He reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire, the release of those held in arbitrary detention, and the unfettered flow of humanitarian aid.

Source: Kuwait News Agency

BRUSSELS, The EU Foreign Affairs Council discussed on Monday the situation in the Middle East, with particular attention to the ever-worsening humanitarian situation in the Gaza strip and the risk of escalation in the wider region.

The Council once more stressed that everyone in the region needs to exercise restraint and take steps to de-escalate.

Further steps were agreed in relation to Iran´s destabilizing activities in the region.

Josep Borrell, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy said in the press conference in the end of the meeting that they “have reached a political agreement in order to enlarge and expand the existing drones regime to impose sanctions to Iran in order to cover missiles and their potential transfers to Russia, this includes missile production-; second, to expand the geographical area of this framework to cover drone and missile deliveries not only to Russia but to the whole region of the Middle East and the Red Sea; and third to expand the list of prohibited
drone components.” Concerning Gaza, the High Representative underlined that there was no progress on release of hostages, no prospect of a ceasefire, nor real easing of the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe.

Furthermore, he stressed that there will be no lasting stability in the region as long as the war in Gaza continues.

EU Ministers agreed to invite once more the Israeli Foreign Minister to a future meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council, as well as the new Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority.

Source: Kuwait News Agency

MUSCAT, Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq returned to Oman Tuesday after a UAE state visit, said Omani news agency.

The visit lasted for two days, during which Sultan Haitham met UAE President Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.

During the visit, both leaders discussed the latest regional and international developments and cooperation between their countries to serve mutual interests and meet the aspirations of their peoples

Source: Kuwait News Agency

Baghdad, Prime Minister Muhammad Shia Al-Sudani reviewed the results of his official visit to the United States, which produced results that are in the interest of Iraq in terms of economy, politics, security, and regional stability, and in the interest of building bilateral strategic relations.

Source: National Iraqi News Agency

BRUSSELS, Kuwait Deputy Foreign Minister Ambassador Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, participated in a luncheon ceremony hosted by Luxembourg Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel on Monday.

The ceremony was in honor of the participating delegations of the GCC countries and the European Union (EU), on the sideline of EU-Gulf Cooperation Council High Level Forum on Regional Security and Cooperation.

During the ceremony, participants exchanged point of views on various issues on the regional and international arena.

Source: Kuwait News Agency

Istanbul, Dozens of Turks participated on Tuesday in a protest against the visit of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to a school in the southern state of Gaziantep, because of “German support for Israel.”

Participants in the protest held banners in English and German denouncing cooperation between Germany and Israel and the Turkish people’s refusal to receive those who participated in the slaughter of Palestinian children in Gaza.

Police teams took security measures around the German President’s convoy as it passed in front of the demonstrators.

The protest participants saluted the position of Nicaragua, which filed a lawsuit with the International Court of Justice last March, accusing Germany of ‘facilitating the commission of genocide’ against the Palestinians during the Israeli war that has been ongoing in the Gaza Strip for more than months.

Nicaragua said in the lawsuit request that ‘Germany facilitates the commission of genocide by sending military equipment to Israel and stopping funding fo
r the United Nations Relief Agency for Palestinian Refugees.’

Yesterday, the German President arrived in Istanbul on a three-day visit to Turkey and faced similar protests in the city of Istanbul, where protesters described him as the new Hitler, demanding that he return to where he came from as he was an accomplice in the slaughter of Gaza’s children through his blatant cooperation with Israel in its aggression against Gaza.

Source: National Iraqi News Agency

ABU DHABI, The UAE and Oman discussed on Tuesday restoring peace and stability around the world.

This came in a joint statement from both sides during Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq’s two-day state visit to the UAE upon the President Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed’s invitation, according to Emirates News Agency (WAM).

The statement added that both leaders discussed the latest regional and international developments and cooperation between their countries to serve mutual interests and meet the aspirations of their peoples.

The UAE and Oman also reaffirmed their commitment to investment partnerships and represent a major stride towards economic cooperation to drive growth and development through strategic investments between the two countries.

Sultan Haitham expressed his appreciation to Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed, his government and people, wishing them further progress and prosperity.

For his part, Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed wished Oman and their people further progress and prosperity.

Source: Kuwait News A
gency

Baghdad, The National Security Advisor, Qassem Al-Araji, met today, Tuesday, on the sidelines of the twelfth international meeting of senior officials on security issues, held in the Russian city of St. Petersburg, with the Secretary-General of the Iranian National Security Council, Ali Akbar Ahmad Yan.

According to a statement by the Chancellery, the meeting discussed the latest security developments in the region, and ways to strengthen cooperation relations between Baghdad and Tehran, especially in the fields of security, intelligence, border control, and combating terrorism and drugs.

During the meeting, Al-Araji stressed the importance of the international community coming together to face the challenges facing the region, to prevent the escalation of crises and conflicts and their repercussions on the overall situation in the region.

Source: National Iraqi News Agency

AMMAN, His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Sabah’s visit to Jordan, due Tuesday, encapsulates the recent progress seen in bilateral relations, in addition to Kuwait’s rising prominence and growing clout on a regional level.

His Highness the Amir’s visit to the Hashemite Kingdom encapsulates a common desire to propel ties to greater levels, given the historic camaraderie and values shared by the two Arab nations, while more growth in ties would simultaneously serve the best interests of Kuwait and Amman.

Since bilateral relations commenced in earnest back in 1961, some 73 joint deals and agreements covering a myriad of fields had come to fruition, in a testament to the two countries’ shared viewpoints on current developments around the region, chief among the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Lawmakers from Kuwait and Jordan have ramped up diplomacy in a bid to serve the best interests of the wider Arab region, while the two countries have vociferously shored up support for the Pales
tinains in regional and international gatherings, in a bid to demonstrate their committment to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

A spate of joint high-profile visits by Kuwaiti and Jordanian leaders has given impetus to more headway in bilateral relations, while Amman and Kuwait have constantly cited the “Palestinian cause” as the Arab world’s core concern, taking precedence over a host of other pressing matters in the region.

Kuwaiti investments in Jordan are worth some KD three billion, with bilateral trade volume skyrocketing to KD 67 million (USD 218 million), while Kuwaiti philanthropists have left their mark on the Hashemite kingdom with a slew of charitable projects aiming to aid the country’s impoverished.

On the military front, a number of joint drills have brought the two countries’ respective armies closer together, with educational ties also seeing growth in the number of Kuwaiti students pursuing higher studies in the Hashemite Kindgom.

While the number of joint deals sig
ned over the years have been innumerable, some of the most notable ones include a regulatory aviation agreement in 1975, in addition to a Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement signed in 1985.

Source: Kuwait News Agency

Istanbul, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan affirmed his country’s support for the steps taken by the Iraqi government headed by Muhammad Shia Al-Sudani in order to achieve security, stability and lasting prosperity in the country.

Erdogan said in statements to reporters on board the presidential plane during his return from an official visit he made to Iraq yesterday, Monday, during which he attended the signing of a number of agreements between the two countries: Possible steps to be taken were discussed, especially with regard to issues such as combating terrorism, trade, transportation, energy, and the effects of climate change.

Erdogan expressed to the Iraqi side that Turkey welcomed Baghdad’s declaration of the PKK as a terrorist organization, and that this matter was at the core of Turkey’s aspirations to end the presence of the terrorist organization in Iraq.

He added: “The PKK/PYD/YPG organization threatens Iraq’s stability, growth, and safety, and removing this threat is in Baghdad’s interes
t.”

He stressed Turkey’s determination to end terrorism one way or another, saying: “We will never give way to those who work with terrorist organizations and use them as tools. It is necessary for Iraq’s development vision and the security of international investments to fill the holes of terrorism.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed that terrorism threatens Iraq’s stability and development vision, and that eliminating the PKK terrorist organization is in the interest of the Arab country.

The Turkish President said: “Draining the swamp of terrorism in Syria and Iraq will not only be through our work, but also through the joint efforts of the administrations of the two countries.”

He stressed that this struggle will continue, whether inside or outside our borders, within the framework of international law and by respecting the unity and territorial integrity of the neighboring country.

Erdogan expressed his hope that neighboring countries would show the necessary stance in confronting the t
hreats targeting Turkish lands.

Regarding the development road project, President Erdogan said that it was at the top of the agenda of the visit and that it culminated in the signing of a four-way memorandum of understanding through which an important stage was passed.

The Turkish President promised faster progress in completing the development road project in the coming days.

According to the Turkish President, 27 agreements and memorandums of understanding signed by Turkey and Iraq will contribute to strengthening relations between the two countries further.

Source: National Iraqi News Agency

The Arab League announced on Monday that it will hold an extraordinary session of the League next Wednesday, at the request of Palestine, to discuss the ongoing crimes committed by the Israeli occupation forces in Gaza Strip.

Arab League Assistant Secretary-General Ambassador Hossam Zaki told KUNA that Mauritania will chair the session, which will address the repercussions of the US veto in the Security Council regarding Palestine’s full membership in the United Nations.

Zaki highlighted that Palestine called for the session to address ongoing crimes by Israeli occupying forces in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem.

Additionally, members will listen to a detailed briefing from Francesca P. Albanese, the UN human rights special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, who recently met with the Arab League Secretary-General.

Source: Kuwait News Agency

Pakistan and Iran on Monday have signed eight agreements and Memorandums of Understandings (MoUs) for cooperation in diverse fields during the visit of Iranian President, Dr. Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi to Pakistan.

According to an official press release, the agreements included cooperation in security, judicial assistance in civil matters and veterinary and animal health. The two countries signed an MOU for establishment of a special economic zone whilst another was signed for film exchanges and cooperation between the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Organization of Cinema and audio visual affairs of Iran. The Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Ministry of Cooperatives, labors and social welfare of Iran as well as Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority and National Standards Organization of Iran also signed MOUs of cooperation. An MOU was also signed on legal cooperation. The signing ceremony was witnessed by the Iranian President and Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif.

Moreover, t
he visiting Iranian President and PM Sharif at a meeting in Islamabad on Monday agreed on joint efforts to eradicate terrorism. According to a statement issued by the PM House, the two leaders also held discussions to increase trade and communication links between the two countries. In delegation level talks, the two sides decided to promote their bilateral relations in diverse fields including political, economic, trade and culture. In a press stake after the delegation level talks, the Iranian President said both countries have decided to enhance their trade volume to USD 10 billion dollars. The Iranian President also emphasized the need for promotion of trade and business activities in the border areas for the wellbeing of the peoples there. Ebrahim Raisi said both Pakistan and Iran are determined to fight terrorism and other organized crimes. He expressed the hope that his visit to Pakistan will be a turning point regarding the expansion and promotion of bilateral relations between the great people of Pak
istan and Iran. In his remarks on the occasion, PM Sharif expressed Pakistan’s firm commitment to further strengthen bilateral relations with Iran, adding that time has come to transform our border areas into the ones of economic progress and prosperity. He expressed confidence that the visit of the Iranian President will further strengthen and deepen the bilateral relationship between Pakistan and Iran.

The Prime Minister also commended the Iranian stance on Palestinian issue. He said Pakistan stands by the Palestinian people and the Muslim countries need to collectively raise their voices from various forums in support of the Palestinian people. He also expressed his gratitude to the Iranian leadership for raising voice for the oppressed people of Indian administered Kashmir. Earlier in the day, Iranian President along with a high level delegation comprising the Foreign Minister and other members of the cabinet, senior officials and a business delegation arrived in Islamabad on a three-day visit to Pakista
n.

Source: Kuwait News Agency