LONDON: British Prime Minister Theresa May faces a showdown with her pro-EU MPs on Wednesday over parliament’s role in the final Brexit deal, which could influence her entire negotiation strategy.
MPs will vote on amendments to the EU (Withdrawal) Bill setting out how much power lawmakers will have if the government fails to agree a departure deal before Brexit in March 2019.
May says she expects to get an agreement with Brussels, but warned that any attempt to tie her hands could undermine the ongoing negotiations.
She averted a rebellion by pro-EU MPs in her Conservative Party on the issue of parliamentary powers last week with a promise of a compromise, but within days they had rejected her proposal as inadequate.
Instead they worked with peers to introduce their own amendment to the unelected upper House of Lords, which agreed it by a landslide on Monday.
The amendment now returns to MPs in the elected lower House of Commons, where Conservative rebels will ally with opposition parties in a bid to finally make it law.
May’s spokesman refused to say if he believes the government has the numbers to win the vote, but made clear that no more concessions would be forthcoming.
“We cannot accept the amendment on a meaningful vote agreed in the Lords,” he said, adding that it “would undermine our ability in the negotiations to get the best deal for the country.”
“We will be retabling our original amendment,” he said, adding: “We hope that all MPs will be able to support the government’s position.”
The vote, due on Wednesday afternoon or early evening, could have implications for Britain’s wider Brexit strategy, indicating where the power lies in parliament.
May commands only a slim majority in the 650-seat Commons, made possible through an alliance with Northern Ireland’s 10 Democratic Unionist Party MPs.
A victory for the pro-EU rebels would embolden them ahead of debates next month on Britain’s future trading relationship with the European Union, which they are seeking to keep as close as possible.
It would likely anger euroskeptics, who accuse the rebels of seeking to thwart Brexit.
They are also becoming increasingly frustrated with the withdrawal process under May’s leadership.
Leading Conservative rebel Dominic Grieve denied he was trying to undermine the government or stop Brexit, but warned that if parliament rejected the final Brexit deal, there would be a crisis.
“That’s what wakes me up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat,” he told Sky News television.
“The very reason I’ve prompted this amendment is to provide a mechanism to make sure that we don’t come to government collapse immediately.”
But euroskeptic Conservative MP Graham Stringer said Grieve and his supporters were only interested in “sabotaging the whole process.”
“The purpose of the latest Grieve ruse is to give parliament the power to delay or stop Brexit,” he said.
Despite agreement on Britain’s financial settlement and EU citizens’ rights, the Brexit talks are progressing slowly, and there are few hopes of a breakthrough at an EU summit later this month.
Both sides are still publicly aiming for an agreement in October, but this is looking more and more difficult.
Negotiations are currently stalled on how to avoid border checks between Northern Ireland, a part of the UK, and neighboring EU member Ireland when Britain develops its own trade and customs policies.
“Serious divergences” remain over Northern Ireland, the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier said Tuesday after a final round of talks between London and Brussels ahead of the European summit.
The British government has also yet to decide on what it wants from the future economic relationship.
It has been clear about one area, security cooperation — but many of its proposals were on Tuesday knocked back by Barnier.
He said Britain could not stay in the European Arrest Warrant, take part in meetings of policing agency Europol or access EU-only police databases.
“We need more realism about what is and what is not possible,” he said.
British PM faces Brexit showdown with pro-EU rebels
British PM faces Brexit showdown with pro-EU rebels
- MPs will vote on amendments to the EU (Withdrawal) Bill setting out how much power lawmakers will have if the government fails to agree a departure deal before Brexit in March 2019
- The vote, due on Wednesday afternoon or early evening, could have implications for Britain’s wider Brexit strategy, indicating where the power lies in parliament
Lebanese army dismantled ‘over 90 percent’ of Hezbollah infrastructure near Israel: security official
“We have dismantled over 90 percent of the infrastructure in the area south of the Litani,” the official, who requested anonymity as the matter is sensitive, told AFP.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun meanwhile said in an interview with Sky News Arabia that the army was now in control of over 85 percent of the country’s south.
The November truce deal, which ended over a year of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, was based on a UN Security Council resolution that says Lebanese troops and United Nations peacekeepers should be the only forces in south Lebanon.
Under the deal, Hezbollah was to pull its fighters north of Lebanon’s Litani River, some 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the Israeli border, and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure to its south.
Much of Hezbollah’s robust underground infrastructure in the south was “filled and closed” by the army, the official said.
Soldiers have also reinforced their control of crossing points into the area south of the Litani “to prevent the transfer of weapons from the north of the river to the south.”
Aoun, on a visit to the United Arab Emirates, said the Lebanese army was “fulfilling its role without any problems or opposition.”
He said the single obstacle to the full deployment of soldiers across the border area was “Israel’s occupation of five border positions.”
Under the ceasefire agreement, Israel was to withdraw all its forces from south Lebanon, but its troops remain in five positions that it deems “strategic.”
The security official meanwhile said that Hezbollah has been cooperating with the army.
“Hezbollah withdrew and said ‘do whatever you want’... there is no longer a military (infrastructure) for Hezbollah south of the Litani,” the official said.
The official added that most of the munitions found by the army were either “damaged” by Israeli bombing or “in such bad shape that it is impossible to stock them,” prompting the army to detonate them.
Pakistan urges US to ask India to ‘act responsibly’ amid threat of war
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio calls Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to discuss tensions with India
- Sharif says India’s “deeply worrisome” behavior will distract Pakistan from battling militants based in Afghanistan
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday urged US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to impress upon New Delhi to “act responsibly” amid fears of a military confrontation breaking out between nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan.
Tensions have surged between the two countries following a deadly attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir on Apr. 22 that New Delhi has said Pakistan was involved in. Islamabad denies the charges and has said it will participate in any credible and transparent investigation of the assault.
Several countries such as China, Saudi Arabia, Iran, UK, US and others have called upon both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint and avoid a military confrontation. Pakistan has vowed to give a “strong” response to any aggression after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the military freedom to respond to the Kashmir attack during a closed-door meeting on Tuesday.
Sharif received a call from Rubio during which he offered the American official Pakistan’s perspective on the recent developments after the Apr. 22 attack, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement.
“He [Sharif] categorically rejected Indian attempts to link Pakistan to the incident and pointed to his call for a transparent, credible, and neutral investigation to bring out the facts,” the PMO said.
“He urged the US to impress upon India to dial down the rhetoric and act responsibly.”
Sharif condemned “terrorism” in all its forms and manifestations and underscored Pakistan’s leading role in the “war against terror,” the statement said.
He described India’s recent behavior as “deeply disappointing and worrisome,” saying it would only serve to distract Pakistan from its ongoing efforts to defeat militants, particularly those based in Afghanistan.
India and Pakistan have fought two out of three wars since 1947 over the issue of the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir. Both countries claim Kashmir in full but administer only parts of it.
“The Prime Minister emphasized that peaceful resolution of the Jammu & Kashmir dispute was the only way to ensure lasting peace in South Asia,” the PMO said.
On bilateral cooperation, Sharif told Rubio there were several areas where both sides could cooperate. He cited counterterrorism and enhanced economic cooperation, “particularly the minerals sector.”
“Secretary of State Rubio thanked the Prime Minister for the detailed conversation and emphasized the need for both sides to continue working together for peace and stability in South Asia,” the statement said.
Earlier on Wednesday, fears of a military conflict were reignited when the state-run Pakistan Television (PTV) reported India had carried out “unprovoked” firing in the Kayani and Mandal sectors of the Line of Control on Tuesday night.
The LoC runs 742km (460 miles) dividing the parts of Kashmir governed by India and Pakistan, and acts as part of the de facto border between the two countries.
Small arms were used by the Indian forces, prompting Pakistan to respond, PTV said.
“There are also reports that multiple enemy posts were destroyed by the Pakistan Army’s effective response,” PTV said, naming one of them as the Chakpathra post.
Earlier on Wednesday, the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan reported that a “timely” response by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) had “forced” four Indian Rafale jets to retreat after payrolling near the two nations’ de facto border.
“On the night of April 29/30, four Indian Rafale jets conducted patrolling within Indian geographical boundaries” near the LoC, APP reported, saying PAF “immediately” detected the jets.
“A timely and swift response by the Pakistan Air Force forced four Indian Rafale jets to retreat … The Pakistani armed forces remain fully prepared and alert to give a befitting response to any aggression from India.”
Five Indians kidnapped in attack in Niger
- The victims were working for an Indian company providing services to Niger’s Kandadji dam project
- The armed men who carried out the kidnapping have not been officially identified
NIAMEY: Five Indian citizens were kidnapped in western Niger during an attack last week by armed men that also killed a dozen soldiers, according to two Nigerian security sources and a statement by Indian state authorities seen by Reuters on Wednesday.
Reuters reported on Saturday that 12 soldiers had been killed in the attack a day earlier near the village of Sakoira in the tri-border region, where the West African Sahel countries of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali meet.
The victims were working for an Indian company providing services to Niger’s Kandadji dam project, the two security sources said.
The local government of the Indian state of Jharkhand said in a statement that the five citizens had been working in the Tillaberi region.
It said all five were from Jharkhand and that the Indian embassy in Niger had approached Nigerian authorities for support in securing their release.
The armed men who carried out the kidnapping have not been officially identified, but last month Niger blamed the EIGS group, a Daesh affiliate, for an attack on a mosque near the tri-border area in which at least 44 civilians were killed.
Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso are fighting a jihadist insurgency linked to Al-Qaeda and Islamic State that spun out of a Tuareg rebellion in northern Mali in 2012 and later spread to its neighboring countries.
Kidnappings appear to have intensified this year, with an Austrian woman kidnapped in January and a Swiss citizen earlier in April, both in Niger. Also in January, four Moroccan truck drivers went missing on the border between Niger and Burkina Faso.
Jabal Tuwaiq lift trophy at Jazan region’s 1st Junior Hockey Championship
- The tournament, organized by the Saudi Hockey Federation, featured four teams who scored a total of 23 goals in six matches
- The Eagles of Abu Arish took 2nd place, and Al-Majd 3rd; Al-Majd’s Haitham Musalami was named player of the tournament
JAZAN: Jabal Tuwaiq were crowned champions of the first Junior Boys’ Hockey Championship held in Saudi Arabia’s Jazan region, which concluded on Wednesday at Saad bin Muadh School.
The tournament, organized by the Saudi Hockey Federation, featured four teams who scored a total of 23 goals in six matches. The Eagles of Abu Arish took second place, with Al-Majd finishing third.
In the individual honors, Al-Majd’s Haitham Musalami was named player of the tournament, the top scorer award went to Eagles player Abdullah Azeek, and Jabal Tuwaiq’s Suleiman Al-Muaydi was named best goalkeeper.
The hockey federation said the tournament represented a foundational step in efforts to foster and develop competitive youth hockey across the region, in line with the organization’s strategic vision to expand the sport nationwide and lay the groundwork for national Junior Hockey League.
Lebanese Druze call for quelling sedition in Syria, condemn Israeli intervention
- Intervention came a day after clashes near the Syrian capital Damascus left a reported 13 people dead
- Fighting was prompted after an audio clip supposedly of a senior Druze figure insulting the Prophet Muhammad circulated, promoting violence on Jaramana
BEIRUT: The Druze community in Lebanon, represented by its political and spiritual leaders, unanimously agreed in an urgent meeting on Wednesday in Beirut on the “necessity of quelling sedition in Syria in light of the bloody events that unfolded in Jaramana and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya.”
They condemned “every insult made against the Prophet” and called for calm, dialogue, and for the Syrian administration to conduct a transparent investigation into what happened.
The intervention came a day after clashes near the Syrian capital Damascus left a reported 13 people dead. The fighting was prompted after an audio clip supposedly of a senior Druze figure insulting the Prophet Muhammad circulated, promoting violence on the predominantly Druze town of Jaramana.
Former leader of the Progressive Socialist Party, Walid Jumblatt, announced during the meeting his willingness to travel to the Syrian Arab Republic and meet President Ahmed Al-Sharaa “to engage in dialogue for the sake of preserving brotherhood.”
Jumblatt emphasized his rejection of “Israeli intervention through the use of Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif’s followers to entangle the Druze of Lebanon and Syria in a conflict against all Muslims,” stressing his disapproval of “the repeated visits made by Druze delegations to Israel seeking its support, which have not been successful.”
He expressed his concern regarding “the involvement of figures from the former Syrian regime in inciting discord.”
Jumblatt said there are “hundreds like Ibrahim Huweija,” referring to the Syrian officer who was arrested in Syria last March and is accused of assassinating the Druze leader Kamal Jumblatt in the 1970s.
On Wednesday morning, Jumblatt engaged in extensive communications that “included the new Syrian administration, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Jordan,” as stated in a release from the Progressive Socialist Party.
He urged “the relevant parties to work toward establishing a ceasefire in the Ashrafiyat Sahnaya area to halt the bloodshed.”
Jumblatt requested that “matters be addressed based on the principles of the state and the unity of Syria with all its components.”
According to PSP, “as a result of the communications, an agreement was reached to implement a ceasefire that has come into effect.”
Sheikh Akl Sami Abi Al-Mona, the Druze spiritual leader, said at the beginning of the meeting: “The objective is to avert the worsening situation for our people in Syria, with whom we share ties of faith, kinship, and Arab and Islamic identity.”
He warned of “a discord plot that was being prepared in Syria, based on a video clip on social media that turned out to be fabricated to sow discord between the Druze and Sunnis in Syria, a country currently fertile ground for this changing reality.”
Abu Al-Mona affirmed that “Druze are unitarians and our religion is Islam.”
He added: “We refuse to be an independent national identity and we only embrace our Arab and Islamic affiliation. We refuse to be in confrontation with the Sunnis, with whom we share the Islamic faith.
“What happened in Syria proves that there is a hidden hand working on fueling the conflict.
“Not only do we condemn the action, the reaction and the clash on social media, but also the violation of holy sites, and we will work to stop the hateful rhetoric.
“The Syrian state must control the fragmented factions and intervene immediately to stop the ongoing security collapse.”
Abu Al-Mona stressed that “Israel seeks to execute its expansion plans,” adding that “we will only accept our Arab and Islamic affiliation.”
He described the situation as “critical” and the reactions as “hasty.”
Abu Al-Mona held local and external calls, notably with Syria’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Osama Al-Rifai and Lebanon’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian, as part of the cooperative efforts to control the situation in Jaramana and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya and to address potential dangers.
The main road linking Beirut to Damascus was blocked in Aley, Mount Lebanon, this afternoon, in protest against the developments taking place in Jaramana.
