Djibouti president appeals for regional unity ahead of Arab League summit

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, President Ismail Omar Guelleh warned that the conflicts in Sudan and Yemen are some of the main challenges facing the Arab world. (FILE/AFP)
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Updated 19 May 2023
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Djibouti president appeals for regional unity ahead of Arab League summit

  • Ismail Omar Guelleh lauds critical Saudi role in securing Red Sea security, aid to Sudan in Asharq Al-Awsat interview 
  • Djibouti leader says Syria’s return to the Arab League could bring security and stability to the war-torn country

RIYADH: The president of Djibouti has hailed Saudi Arabia’s support for his country, appealing for regional unity in the face of growing challenges ahead of Friday’s historic Arab League summit.

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, President Ismail Omar Guelleh warned that the conflicts in Sudan and Yemen are some of the main challenges facing the Arab world, in addition to recent Israeli attacks against Islam and Christianity in Jerusalem, as well as fighting in Syria, Libya and Somalia.

Guelleh said: “We hope that the Arab summit hosted by Saudi Arabia will lead to recommendations and decisions that contribute to resolving critical situations and difficult conditions faced by the Arab world, while preserving unity and solidarity among Arab brothers.”

The Djibouti leader hailed Syria’s return to the Arab League, adding that re-engagement with Damascus could bring security and stability to the country.

He said: “It is undeniable that the absence of an Arab state and its distancing from Arab consensus and decisions is regrettable. The Syrian file has been the scene of numerous international and regional negotiations since the beginning of the crisis.

“We are convinced and remain committed to a political solution as the only way out of the Syrian crisis, responding to the aspirations of the Syrian people and supporting efforts to achieve a political settlement that ends the suffering of our Syrian brethren.

“We welcome these efforts and the progress made in ending the political isolation of Syria, thereby alleviating the suffering of the Syrian people and meeting their aspirations for security and stability.”

The attendance of Syrian President Bashar Assad at the Jeddah summit on Friday marks a natural re-integration, Guelleh said, adding: “The Arab world is not isolated from geopolitical changes, and it is natural for any Arab country to cooperate with any bloc, whether economic or military, if it sees its interest in it, provided it does not contradict common Arab action and the principles of the international community.”

Red Sea maritime security is another area of concern, the president said, hailing Saudi efforts in the sphere.




Jeddah Municipality Hoists Flags of Countries Participating in 32nd Arab Summit. Photo: (SPA)

“Saudi Arabia was one of the first countries to establish a common security regime in the Red Sea in 1956, known as the Jeddah Charter. Djibouti’s position at the entrance of the Bab Al-Mandab Strait gives it a central role in efforts to preserve security, stability, protect maritime navigation and combat terrorism,” he added.

“Djibouti was one of the first countries to ratify in January 2020 the Charter of the Council of Arab and African States bordering the Red Sea.”

But the most pressing issue, Guelleh said, is the situation in Sudan, with violence claiming the lives of more than 800 people since April 15.

He said: “We closely monitor the developments and events facing Sudan with great concern, and we express our full readiness through our membership in numerous continental and regional organizations to do everything possible to preserve the stability and unity of dear Sudan and to achieve the interest of its fraternal people. Within the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, we are ready to initiate active mediation.

“Indeed, the presidents of the Republic of Djibouti, Kenya and South Sudan have been designated to travel to Sudan, and consultations are still ongoing to begin mediation.

“However, the visit of the three presidents to Khartoum depends on the cessation of hostilities and the maintenance of the ceasefire. We hope that the organization's initiative will contribute to finding an urgent solution to the crisis, which has been worsening since mid-April. We also commend the mediation of Saudi Arabia and the US, which led to the Jeddah Agreement to protect civilians.”

Regarding tensions surrounding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, the Djibouti president said: “Our vision regarding the Renaissance Dam issue is clear and unwavering, and it aims to reach an agreement that results in a satisfactory settlement for all parties concerned.

“We are optimistic about resolving this crisis, and we believe it will not have any impact on the relations between Arab and African countries. Thus, the concerned countries must agree on an equitable distribution of Nile waters and benefit from it in a just and sufficient manner for all. The Nile should unite all countries rather than divide them.”

Guelleh praised the “deep-rooted relations” between Djibouti and Saudi Arabia, hailing the Kingdom’s support for his country.

Saudi support has continued in political, economic, educational and other fields, he added, noting the Djibouti-Saudi Commission’s role as a general framework for bilateral cooperation, as well as a consultative council of businessmen between the two countries.

Guelleh said that Saudi support also includes humanitarian action in Djibouti, with Saudi infrastructure, through KSrelief, being built in the northern port town of Obock to accommodate a large number of Yemeni refugees.

The Djibouti president expressed his gratitude to King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their role in various international and regional domains.

 


Indonesia volcano belches colossal ash tower

Updated 10 sec ago
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Indonesia volcano belches colossal ash tower

  • Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted on Monday and Tuesday, killing nine people and forcing the relocation of residents
  • Laki-Laki, which means ‘man’ in Indonesian, is twinned with a calmer volcano named after the Indonesian word for ‘woman’
EAST FLORES, Indonesia: A volcano in eastern Indonesia erupted more than half a dozen times on Thursday, catapulting a colossal ash tower five miles into the sky against a backdrop of lightning as nearby residents fled in panic.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted on Monday and Tuesday, killing nine people and forcing the relocation of residents from a 7-kilometer (4.3-mile) exclusion zone.
The country’s volcanology agency reported seven eruptions on Thursday, the biggest of which belched an ash tower five miles (eight kilometers) high, according to an observation post.
Some said it was the biggest eruption they had ever seen from Lewotobi Laki-Laki.
“This is the first time I saw this big eruption since I’ve been living in Lewolaga village,” said Anastasia Adriyani, 41, who lives outside the exclusion zone.
“I was cooking at the community kitchen (for evacuees) and when it happened, I ran back home. I was very scared.”
Officials have raised the alert level for the 1,703-meter (5,587-foot) twin-peaked volcano on the tourist island of Flores to the highest level.
There were no immediate reports of damage to nearby villages from Thursday’s fresh eruptions.
But residents and schoolchildren were seen running from their homes, according to an AFP journalist, who added volcanic lightning was also seen.
Locals at a temporary shelter were anxious as the latest eruptions rumbled on Thursday morning.
“It is sad to think of our village, and we are also panicked seeing the continuous eruptions. Since last night and this morning, we’re still worried,” said evacuee Antonius Puka, 56.
Laki-Laki, which means “man” in Indonesian, is twinned with a calmer volcano named after the Indonesian word for “woman.”
Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire.”

Joe Biden gets blamed by Harris allies for the vice president’s resounding loss

Updated 10 min 45 sec ago
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Joe Biden gets blamed by Harris allies for the vice president’s resounding loss

  • Biden is set to deliver a Rose Garden address Thursday about the election

WASHINGTON: Joe Biden’s name wasn’t on the ballot, but history will likely remember Kamala Harris’ resounding defeat as his loss too.
As Democrats pick up the pieces following President-elect Donald Trump’s decisive victory, some of the vice president’s backers are expressing frustration that Biden’s decision to seek reelection until this summer — despite longstanding voter concerns about his age and unease about post-pandemic inflation as well as the US-Mexico border — all but sealed his party’s loss of the White House.
“The biggest onus of this loss is on President Biden,” said Andrew Yang, who ran against Biden in 2020 for the Democratic nomination and endorsed Harris’ unsuccessful run. “If he had stepped down in January instead of July, we may be in a very different place.”
Biden will leave office after leading the US out of the worst pandemic in a century, galvanizing international support for Ukraine in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion and passing a $1 trillion infrastructure bill that will impact communities for years to come.
But having run four years ago against Trump to “restore the soul of the country,” Biden will make way after just one term for his immediate predecessor, who overcame two impeachments, a felony conviction and an insurrection launched by his supporters. Trump has vowed to radically reshape the federal government and roll back many of Biden’s priorities.
“Maybe in 20 or 30 years, history will remember Biden for some of these achievements,” said Thom Reilly, co-director of the Center for an Independent and Sustainable Democracy at Arizona State University. “But in the shorter term, I don’t know he escapes the legacy of being the president who beat Donald Trump only to usher in another Donald Trump administration four years later.”
The president on Wednesday stayed out of sight for the second straight day, making congratulatory calls to Democratic lawmakers who won downballot races as well as one to Trump, who he invited for a White House meeting that the president-elect accepted.
Biden is set to deliver a Rose Garden address Thursday about the election. He issued a statement shortly after Harris delivered her concession speech on Wednesday, praising Harris for running an “historic campaign” under “extraordinary circumstances.”
Some high-ranking Democrats, including three advisers to the Harris campaign, expressed deep frustration with Biden for failing to recognize earlier in the election cycle that he was not up to the challenge. The advisers spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.
Biden, 81, ended his reelection campaign in July, weeks after an abysmal debate performance sent his party into a spiral and raised questions about whether he still had the mental acuity and stamina to serve as a credible nominee.
But polling long beforehand showed that many Americans worried about his age. Some 77 percent of Americans said in August 2023 that Biden was too old to be effective for four more years, according to a poll by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs.
The president bowed out on July 21 after getting not-so-subtle nudges from Democratic Party powers, including former President Barack Obama and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He endorsed Harris and handed over his campaign operation to her.
Harris managed to spur far greater enthusiasm than Biden was generating from the party’s base. But she struggled to distinguish how her administration would differ from Biden’s.
Appearing on ABC’s “The View” in September, Harris was not able to identify a decision where she would have separated herself from Biden. “There is not a thing that comes to mind,” Harris said, giving the Trump campaign a sound bite it replayed through Election Day.
The strategists advising the Harris campaign said the compressed campaign timetable made it even more difficult for Harris to differentiate herself from the president.
Had Biden stepped aside early in the year, they said, it would have given Democrats enough time to hold a primary. Going through the paces of an intraparty contest would have forced Harris or another eventual nominee to more aggressively stake out differences with Biden.
The strategists acknowledged that overcoming broad dissatisfaction among the American electorate about rising costs in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic and broad concerns about the US immigration system weighed heavy on the minds of voters in key states.
Still, they said that Biden had left Democrats in an untenable place.
Harris senior adviser David Plouffe in a posting on X called it a “devastating loss.” Plouffe didn’t assign blame. He noted the Harris campaign “dug out of a deep hole but not enough.”
At the vice president’s concession speech on Wednesday, some Harris supporters said they wished the vice president had had more time to make her pitch to American voters.
“I think that would have made a huge difference,” said Jerushatalla Pallay, a Howard University student who attended the speech at the center of her campus.
Republicans are poised to control the White House and Senate. Control of the House has yet to be determined.
Matt Bennett, executive vice president at the Democratic-aligned group Third Way, said this moment was the most devastating the party has faced in his lifetime.
“Harris was dealt a really bad hand. Some of it was Biden’s making and some maybe not,” said Bennett, who served as an aide to Vice President Al Gore during the Clinton administration. “Would Democrats fare better if Biden had stepped back earlier? I don’t know if we can say for certain, but it’s a question we’ll be asking ourselves for some time.”


Myanmar junta chief discusses civil war with key ally China

Updated 13 min 37 sec ago
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Myanmar junta chief discusses civil war with key ally China

  • Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing says military ready for peace if armed groups would engage
  • Myanmar is a vital part of Beijing’s trillion-dollar Belt and Road initiative

YANGON : Myanmar’s junta chief has held talks with Premier Li Qiang of key ally China on the civil war roiling his country, state media said Thursday, during his first visit to the country since seizing power in a 2021 coup.
Min Aung Hlaing told Li at a meeting in the southwestern city of Kunming that the military was ready for peace if armed groups would engage, according to an account of the meeting in the Global New Light of Myanmar (GNLM).
Myanmar has been racked by conflict between the military and various armed groups opposed to its rule since the army ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government in February 2021.
The junta is reeling from a major rebel offensive last year that seized a large area of territory, much of it near the border with China.
“The door of peace is always open if they genuinely want peace,” Min Aung Hlaing told Li, according to the GNLM report.
“The armed insurgents should do what needs to be done instead of giving priority to their needs and wishes.”
China has been a major arms supplier to the junta and provided Myanmar with political backing even as other countries shun the generals over their brutal crackdown on dissent.
But Beijing is concerned about the chaos unfolding on its doorstep, in particular the growth of online scam compounds in Myanmar, run by and targeting Chinese citizens.
In its report of the Kunming meeting, on the sidelines of a regional summit, China’s state news agency Xinhua said Li had stressed the need to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens and projects in Myanmar.
Last month, a blast targeted the Chinese consulate in Mandalay. There were no casualties but Beijing issued a furious rebuke.
Li did not explicitly back the junta’s approach to the civil war, according to the Xinhua report.
Instead, he told Min Aung Hlaing that China supported Myanmar in “advancing the political reconciliation and transformation.”
Beijing is concerned about the possibility the junta could fall, analysts say, and is suspicious about Western influence among some of the pro-democracy armed groups battling the military.
Myanmar is a vital part of Beijing’s trillion-dollar Belt and Road initiative, with railways and pipelines to link China’s landlocked southwest to the Indian Ocean.


South Korea president says ‘not ruling out’ direct weapons to Ukraine

Updated 40 min 7 sec ago
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South Korea president says ‘not ruling out’ direct weapons to Ukraine

  • Yoon also revealed he had discussed North Korea with US president-elect Donald Trump

SEOUL: Major arms exporter South Korea is not ruling out providing weapons directly to Ukraine, President Yoon Suk Yeol said Thursday, signalling a possible shift in Seoul’s stance on the issue.
Yoon also revealed he had discussed North Korea with US president-elect Donald Trump in a phone conversation that laid the groundwork for a meeting in the “near future.”
South Korea has a long-standing policy of not providing weapons to countries in conflict but indicated that could change in light of Pyongyang’s deployment of troops to Russia to aid its war efforts in Ukraine.
“Now, depending on the level of North Korean involvement, we will gradually adjust our support strategy in phases,” Yoon said at a press conference in Seoul.
“This means we are not ruling out the possibility of providing weapons.”
North Korea has become one of the most vocal and important backers of Russia’s full-scale offensive in Ukraine.
Seoul and the West have long accused Pyongyang of supplying artillery shells and missiles to Moscow for use in Ukraine.
The latest accusations, based on intelligence reports, indicate the North has deployed around 10,000 troops to Russia, suggesting even deeper involvement in the conflict and triggering an outcry and warnings in Seoul, Kyiv, and Western capitals.
Yoon said his office would monitor unfolding developments related to the operations of North Korean soldiers, and if he decided to provide weapons to Kyiv, the initial batch would be defensive.
“If we proceed with weapons support, we would prioritize defensive weapons as a first consideration,” he said without elaborating further.
US-Korea relations
In a call with Trump that took place before the press briefing, Yoon said the two men had discussed a number of issues surrounding North Korea while agreeing to a face-to-face meeting.
“We agreed to meet in the near future... I believe there will be an opportunity to meet within this year,” Yoon said.
Among the topics discussed were recent moves by the North, including its sending of trash-carrying balloons southward, he said.
“Regarding North Korea, we addressed issues such as the launching of over 7,000 trash balloons, GPS jamming, and their indiscriminate firing of ICBMs, IRBMs and SRBMs,” Yoon said, referring to a recent flurry of missile tests.
Compared with his dovish predecessor Moon Jae-in, Yoon has taken a tough stance with the nuclear-armed North while improving ties with security ally Washington.
Since North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s second summit with then-president Trump collapsed in Hanoi in 2019, Pyongyang has abandoned diplomacy, doubling down on weapons development and rejecting Washington’s offers of talks.
While in office, Trump met with Kim three times, beginning with a landmark summit in Singapore in June 2018, though the pair failed to make much progress on efforts to denuclearise the North.
During the campaign, Trump said: “I think he misses me,” and that it was “nice to get along with somebody that has a lot of nuclear weapons.”
In a commentary released in July, North Korea said that while it was true Trump tried to reflect the “special personal relations” between the heads of states, he “did not bring about any substantial positive change.”


2024 ‘virtually certain’ to be hottest year on record: EU monitor

Updated 07 November 2024
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2024 ‘virtually certain’ to be hottest year on record: EU monitor

  • Copernicus said 2024 would likely be more than 1.55 degrees Celsius above the 1850-1900 average — the period before the industrial-scale burning of fossil fuels
  • Scientists say the safer 1.5C limit is rapidly slipping out of reach, while stressing that every tenth of a degree of temperature rise heralds progressively more damaging impacts

PARIS: This year is “virtually certain” to be the hottest in recorded history with warming above 1.5C, EU climate monitor Copernicus said Thursday, days before nations are due to gather for crunch UN climate talks.
The European agency said the world was passing a “new milestone” of temperature records that should serve to accelerate action to cut planet-heating emissions at the UN negotiations in Azerbaijan next week.
Last month, marked by deadly flooding in Spain and Hurricane Milton in the United States, was the second hottest October on record, with average global temperatures second only to the same period in 2023.
Copernicus said 2024 would likely be more than 1.55 degrees Celsius above the 1850-1900 average — the period before the industrial-scale burning of fossil fuels.
This does not amount to a breach of the Paris deal, which strives to limit global warming to below 2C and preferably 1.5C, because that is measured over decades and not individual years.
“It is now virtually certain that 2024 will be the warmest year on record and the first year of more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels,” said Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) Deputy Director Samantha Burgess.
“This marks a new milestone in global temperature records and should serve as a catalyst to raise ambition for the upcoming Climate Change Conference, COP29.”

The UN climate negotiations in Azerbaijan, which will set the stage for a new round of crucial carbon-cutting targets, will take place in the wake of the United States election victory by Donald Trump.
Trump, a climate change denier, pulled the US out of the Paris Agreement during his first presidency — and while his successor Joe Biden took the United States back in, he has threatened to do so again.
Meanwhile, average global temperatures have reached new peaks, as have concentrations of planet-heating gases in the atmosphere.
Scientists say the safer 1.5C limit is rapidly slipping out of reach, while stressing that every tenth of a degree of temperature rise heralds progressively more damaging impacts.
Last month the UN said the current pace of climate action would result in a catastrophic 3.1C of warming this century, while all current climate pledges taken in full would still amount to a devastating 2.6C temperature rise.
Global warming is not just about rising temperatures, but the knock-on effect of all the extra heat in the atmosphere and seas.
Warmer air can hold more water vapor, and warmer oceans mean greater evaporation, resulting in more intense downpours and storms.
In a month of weather extremes, October saw above-average rainfall across swathes of Europe, as well as parts of China, the US, Brazil and Australia, Copernicus said.
The US is also experiencing ongoing drought, which affected record numbers of people, the EU monitor added.
Copernicus said average sea surface temperatures in the area it monitors were the second highest on record for the month of October.
C3S uses billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft and weather stations to aid its calculations.
Copernicus records go back to 1940 but other sources of climate data such as ice cores, tree rings and coral skeletons allow scientists to expand their conclusions using evidence from much deeper in the past.
Climate scientists say the period being lived through right now is likely the warmest the earth has been for the last 100,000 years, back at the start of the last Ice Age.