Each day at just after midnight Eastern, a post like this one is created for contributors and readers of this site to upload news links and video links on the issues that concern this site. Most notably, Islam and its effects on Classical Civilization, and various forms of leftism from Soviet era communism, to postmodernism and all the flavours of galloping statism and totalitarianism such as Nazism and Fascism which are increasingly snuffing out the classical liberalism which created our near, miraculous civilization the West has been building since the time of Socrates.
This document was written around the time this site was created, for those who wish to understand what this site is about. And while our understanding of the world and events has grown since then, the basic ideas remain sound and true to the purpose.
So please post all links, thoughts and ideas that you feel will benefit the readers of this site to the comments under this post each day. And thank you all for your contributions.
This is the new Samizdat. We must use it while we can.
QURAN, SOLOMON & ASHMEDAI
video – 8 minutes 55 seconds
In this video we look at the background to Surah 38:34-35 found in mystical Jewish literature.
Democrats in the House of Representatives voted on Wednesday against an amendment to a proposed bill that would prevent the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) from forcing credit reporting agencies to evaluate Americans based on political opinions or religious beliefs.
Without such an amendment, Republicans warn, the powerful CFPB would have the legal authority to make nearly any criteria mandatory for a private credit evaluation company to take into consideration, paving the way for a system in which the federal government has the power to assign numerical scores to individuals based on their loyalty to a certain political party, membership in civil society groups that the government approves or disapproves of, or other private behaviors.
The system, they say, would mirror the newly minted “social credit system” in place in China, which bans citizens from key social services like public transportation if they lose too many points behaving in a way the Communist Party disapproves of.
https://www.breitbart.com/economy/2020/01/30/democrats-block-safeguard-against-cfpb-social-credit-system/
CORONAVIRUSPublished 2 hours ago
Person-to-person transmission of coronavirus reported in US, CDC says
Alexandria HeinBy Alexandria Hein | Fox News
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China vows to eliminate ‘devil’ coronavirus as government scrambles to contain outbreak
Much of China is on lockdown as the infection grows to 8,000 people; Benjamin Hall reports.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported the first case of person-to-person transmission of coronavirus in the United States. In a telebriefing on Thursday, officials said the patient is the husband of a Chicago woman who was diagnosed with the illness after returning from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the virus.
The case marks the sixth coronavirus illness confirmed in the U.S., and the second in Illinois.
7,000 PEOPLE HELD ON CRUISE SHIP AFTER PASSENGER DEVELOPS SUSPECTED CORONAVIRUS SYMPTOMS
Dr. Robert Redfield, the CDC director, said the health agency had expected to identify “some” person-to-person spread in the U.S., and insisted that the risk to the American public “remains low.” Officials stressed that the husband, who did not travel to China and is in his 60s with underlying health issues, and his wife had continued close contact while she was symptomatic, exposing him to the virus.
https://www.foxnews.com/health/person-to-person-transmission-coronavirus-reported-in-us-cdc
India: Muslim mob burns non-Muslim alive, police arrest only 3, anxious to appease Muslim community
JAN 30, 2020 1:00 PM BY ROBERT SPENCER5 COMMENTS
“Madhya Pradesh BJP has alleged that more people were involved in the case but police not taking any action against them due to political reasons. Madhya Pradesh BJP chief Rakesh Singh said that out of 15 to 20 people who had attacked the Dalit man, only 2-3 have been arrested. He said that only formalities have been done in such a shocking incident because Congress is playing the politics of vote bank and appeasement.”
It’s a universal worldwide impulse.
https://www.jihadwatch.org/2020/01/india-muslim-mob-burns-non-muslim-alive-police-arrest-only-3-anxious-to-appease-muslim-community
Delingpole: Top Newsreader Alastair Stewart Fired for Quoting ‘Racist’ Shakespeare
LONDON – APRIL 15: Journalist and braodacster Alastair Stewart attends a cocktail party to launch nationwide fundraising tea dances due to take place on Australian and New Zealand memorial Anzac Day (April 25) at the Australian High Commission on April 15, 2008 in London, England. All proceeds to be donated …Getty Images
JAMES DELINGPOLE30 Jan 2020959
2:35
One of Britain’s most popular and respected newsreaders has been sacked after using on Twitter a Shakespeare quotation that a black activist complained was ‘racist’.
Alastair Stewart, who had been a newsreader at Independent Television News (ITN) for 40 years, was engaged in a Twitter debate with a vexatious nonentity called Martin Shapland, a former Liberal Democrat activist of no known distinction.
Stewart responded to one of Shapland’s sallies with a quotation from Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure:
But man, proud man,
Drest in a little brief authority
Most ignorant of what he’s most assur’d;
His glassy essence, like an angry ape,
Plays such fantastic tricks before high heaven,
As make the angels weep.
Shapland seized the opportunity take offence, brand Stewart’s tweet ‘racist’ – and get the newsreader sacked.
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/01/30/newsreader-alastair-stewart-sacked-for-quoting-racist-shakespeare/
Police cleared 1,436 migrants from a makeshift migrant camp in northern Paris this week in what marks the 60th ejection of migrants from the area since 2015.
The evacuation in the Porte d’Aubervilliers, located in the north of Paris, took place at 8:30 am on Tuesday with a large number of officers being deployed under the command of the police headquarters of the Ile-de-France region, BFMTV reports.
The nearly 1,500 migrants, including 93 children, were also taken to 15 commandeered gymnasiums while police and others continued their operation by dismantling the tents and other contents of the site with heavy machinery.
The expulsion marks the 60th time authorities have cleared the area, but the prefect of the police has said that new surveillance will be installed in the area in order to prevent the camp from reforming once again.
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/01/30/paris-migrant-camp-cleared-60th-time-since-2015/
Wuhan virus: Toronto arrivals from China say no special screening at Pearson Airport | David Menzies
Poroshenko ‘most corrupt president ever,’ Hunter Biden’s board job may have been bribe for his father – UkraineGate documentary
FILE PHOTO: (L) Hunter Biden and Joe Biden. © REUTERS/Andy Wong/Pool (R) Petro Poroshenko and Joe Biden © REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko
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Former Ukrainian officials told a French journalist that President Petro Poroshenko was directly involved in corruption, and that Hunter Biden’s job at the gas company Burisma was a bribe to his father, the US vice president.
US President Donald Trump is currently on trial in the Senate, having been impeached by the House over Democrat allegations that withholding military aid to Ukraine over corruption concerns amounted to an abuse of power. Former Ukrainian officials and anti-corruption activists, however, have testified that not only was there corruption involving Burisma, the natural gas firm tied to former vice president and Democratic presidential frontrunner Joe Biden’s son, but that it went all the way to the top.
These revelations can be found in the third installment of the documentary series ‘UkraineGate: Inconvenient facts’, produced by the French investigative journalist Olivier Berruyer, founder of popular anti-corruption and economics blog Les Crises.
https://www.rt.com/news/479578-burisma-biden-poroshenko-corruption-berruyer/
Paris, France. People flee the subway, they’re puking. According to one comment they’re affected by tear gas. Quite possible, there are a lot of firemen helping the victims, I’m guessing those firemen were there to protest.
https://www.dumpert.nl/item/7834069_142992be
Trudeau, Virginia, where next?
https://www.theorganicprepper.com/virginia-politicians-illegal-to-criticize/
Senator Rand Paul’s question is not read by Chief Justice Roberts
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) sends question to the desk during Impeachment Trial.
Chief Justice Roberts: “The presiding officer declines to read the question as submitted.”
C-SPAN Video of Rand Paul Reading Censored Impeachment Trial Question Taken Down on Twitter
A video clip posted by C-SPAN of Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) reading a question that Chief Justice John Roberts refused to ask at the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump that mentions the name of the alleged Ukraine whistleblower was taken down Thursday afternoon. Paul read the question at a press conference away from the Senate chamber. It is not clear whether C-SPAN or Twitter took down the video. There is no statement on the C-SPAN page as of this writing regarding the deletion.
(UPDATE AT END: C-SPAN video reposted.)
more :
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/01/c-span-video-of-rand-paul-reading-censored-impeachment-trial-question-taken-down-on-twitter/
=====================================================
https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1222985993772589057
Trey Gowdy on the progress made in the impeachment trial
Tucker: Impeachment is really about foreign policy
Mark Steyn: Impeachment trial a ‘stinker’ from beginning to end
Excellent! Tom Fitton Reacts to Chief Justice’s Refusal to Allow Question on Leaker
“An Extraordinary Example of the Deep State Protecting Itself”
Chinese Woman from Wuhan Goes on Vacation to Philippines – Visits Cebu, Manila, Dumaguete — Then Checks into Hospital with Coronavirus
The first case of Coronovirus was confirmed in Philippines on Thursday.
The woman from Wuhan, China took a vacation in Philippines.
The 38-year-old woman flew from Hong Kong and arrived in Philippines on January 21.
The woman then visited the tourist hub of Cebu and then traveled to Manila and Dumaguete.
There are 12.8 million people in the Manila metro area.
She checked into the hospital days later on January 25th.
This is absolutely frightening!
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/01/chinese-woman-from-wuhan-goes-on-vacation-to-philippines-visits-cebu-manila-dumaguete-then-checks-into-hospital-with-coronavirus/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailypm&utm_content=daily
Boys Are Falling Behind Girls, And Feminists Don’t Care
China’s Regime Grossly Underreporting Scale of Novel Coronavirus Outbreak | American Thought Leaders
100,000 infected in Wuhan City, Chinese Government expecting 100,000 deaths, maybe more.
This is the newsletter we’re sharing:
https://promedmail.org
Thank you, I don’t like the case in Quincey IL. That is only abt 95 miles from me.
China’s Regime Grossly Underreporting Scale of Novel Coronavirus Outbreak | American Thought Leaders
Coronavirus present in every region of China
Coronavirus declared a global public health emergency
Finally!
Why so long?
Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of the WHO is Ethiopian.
China annuls Ethiopia’s loan Interests
Chinese president Xi Jinping has announced the cancellation of interests for loans it provided to Ethiopia until the end of 2018.The president announcement comes on Wednesday while he held discussion with Prime Minister of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed and his delegation in Beijing ahead of the Belt and Road Forum.
The Chinese President admired the leadership of Prime Minister Dr Abiy and the reforms he has led over the past year, noting that China holds Ethiopia’s development in high regard, according to the Office of the Prime Minister.
https://www.journalducameroun.com/en/china-annuls-ethiopias-loan-interests/
…….
Indebted Ethiopia gets major break on Chinese loan for Djibouti railway
China has given Ethiopia 20 extra years to pay back a loan for its transformative railway to Djibouti as concerns over the African country’s debt load grow.
The restructuring of the loan triples the time landlocked Ethiopia has to repay what it owes for the $4bn, 750km standard gauge line to the port of Djibouti, which opened in January last year. The original terms stipulated 10 years.
China’s Export-Import Bank loaned Ethiopia some 70% of the total project cost, reports Reuters.
Ethiopia’s prime minister Abiy Ahmed announced the welcome news last week after returning from the 7th Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit in Beijing.
http://www.globalconstructionreview.com/news/indebted-ethiopia-gets-major-break-chinese-loan-dj/
wuhan market | before corona virus | wuhan china
Trudeau hands MasterCard a gift of your money
Forget the corporate welfare for Canadian Tire’s electric car chargers or the $12 million Justin Trudeau gave Loblaws to help them buy fridges.
We’ve got a new champion for companies pigging out at the taxpayer trough: MasterCard.
That’s right, the Trudeau government is actually giving a handout to a major financial company that makes billions each year.
In a little-noticed government news release last week, Industry Minister Navdeep Bains announced a gift of $50 million to MasterCard to help them set up shop in Vancouver.
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer had the best line as opposition parties pressed the government on the handout, he played off of MasterCard’s classic “Priceless” ad campaign.
“Having a wasteful government that believes in corporate welfare isn’t priceless, turns out it’s worth $50 million!” Scheer said in the Commons.
The government, which made the announcement at the swanky World Economic Forum, a who’s who of the world elite in Davos, Switzerland, seemed caught off guard with Scheer’s questions.
“Why did the prime minister make taxpayers so sad by giving $50 million to a company that made $16 billion last year off the backs of hard-working Canadians who can’t afford to pay their full balances?” Scheer asked.
Trudeau mumbled on about his government being focused on “growing the middle class and those working hard to join it.” Nothing says middle class like giving a profitable multibillion-dollar company $50 million from taxpayers.
“Why did the prime minister think that they needed a handout?” Scheer asked again.
“Everything this government does is focused on the middle class and those working hard to join it,” Trudeau responded.
The NDP wasn’t letting the Conservatives steal their corporate welfare thunder and jumped in on the action.
“Why does the Liberal government keep giving money to profitable companies instead of investing in our health care?” NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh asked.
Trudeau responded that his government is working hard to make medications more affordable.
Given how well past corporate handouts have gone over, it’s no wonder that Trudeau didn’t want to even attempt to answer the questions from the opposition leaders. Yet, I bet he actually believes that giving your tax dollars to profitable companies helps you.
Or maybe he simply thinks CEOs from places like MasterCard are middle class and this helps them.
That’s not a crazy statement; the government once again this week said they can’t define the middle class they are so desperate to help.
Not surprisingly, fiscal hawks like Aaron Wudrick at the Canadian Taxpayers Federation were not impressed.
“MasterCard is a very profitable corporation. There is no reason why taxpayers should have to give them a $50-million gift,” Wudrick said.
But, but, but, says the government, this “investment” will help raise “Canada’s stature as a leader in cybersecurity,” the news release said.
“Is that reputational boost worth $50 million?” Wudrick wisely asked.
https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/lilley-trudeaus-gift-of-your-money-to-mastercard
More brazen than Ukraine oligarchs.
Muslim exorcism in Austria
https://medforth.blog/2020/01/29/watch-islamic-exorcism-amidst-vienna-austria/
In the video, the exorcist asks the jinn who is possessing the “patient” if he’s jew or christian at 8:24.
Btw if this shocks you, you should know this is an integral part of islam and happens everywhere where there are muslims. Such rituals have been performed in western europe probably since the ’70s. Sometimes they go wrong, an imam in Belgium was convicted for killing his “patient”. He had tied down a woman and tortured her for months, he scalded her with boiling water.
29 Jan 2020 France to send warships to support Greece in Turkish standoff
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/29/greece-turkey-standoff-france-send-warships-east-mediterranean
Greece’s prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has welcomed a decision by France to dispatch war frigates to the eastern Mediterranean as a standoff with Turkey over regional energy reserves intensifies.
With tensions between Athens and Ankara causing growing international alarm, Mitsotakis described the vessels as “guarantors of peace”.
“The only way to end differences in the eastern Mediterranean is through international justice,” he told reporters after holding talks in Paris with the French president, Emmanuel Macron. “Greece and France are pursuing a new framework of strategic defence.”
Mitsotakis was in the French capital on a visit aimed at rallying EU support at a time when hostile relations with Turkey have eclipsed all other issues on the agenda of his near seven-month-old government.
Macron pledged France would step up its strategic bond with Greece, accusing Turkey of not only exacerbating regional tensions but failing to stick to its promised course of action in war-torn Libya.
“I want to express my concerns with regard to the behaviour of Turkey at the moment … we have seen during these last days Turkish warships accompanied by Syrian mercenaries arrive on Libyan soil. This is an explicit and serious infringement of what was agreed [at last week’s peace conference] in Berlin. It’s a broken promise.”
The Gallic-Greek alliance cements what officials in Athens are calling a renewed diplomatic push to counter Turkish belligerence in the Mediterranean.
Greece’s defence minister, Nikos Panagiotopoulos, recently went as far as to warn that armed forces were “examining all scenarios, even that of military engagement” in the face of heightened aggression from Ankara. Rejecting Turkish demands that Greece demilitarise 16 Aegean islands, he accused Turkey of displaying unusually provocative behaviour.
The demand, made by his Turkish counterpart, Hulusi Akar, follows a dramatic surge in recent months in the number of violations of Greek airspace by Turkish fighter jets. “Greece does not provoke, does not violate the sovereign rights of others, but it doesn’t like to see its own rights violated,” said Panagiotopoulos.
Tensions between the Nato allies prompted Donald Trump to take the unprecedented step of voicing concerns over the situation in a telephone call with the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdo?an, on Monday.
The White House spokesman Judd Deere tweeted that in a conversation focusing on Libya and Syria, the US president had also “highlighted the importance of Turkey and Greece resolving their differences in the east Mediterranean”.
Friction between the two neighbours has not been so acute since the invasion of Cyprus in 1974 – an operation that resulted in the island’s permanent division that is still viewed by Ankara as one of its greatest modern military successes. Privately, Greek officials liken the mood music between the rival countries to 1996, when a military clash over an Aegean islet inhabited solely by goats was narrowly averted after Washington stepped in. “The intervention has been welcomed,” said one well-placed MP. “But whether it will help avoid armed confrontation is far from sure.”
Regional tensions have escalated as Turkish anger has risen over conflicting claims to potentially massive energy reserves in the eastern Mediterranean.
Erdo?an’s ire has so far been aimed at Cyprus, where a feud over exploration rights has deepened following the discovery of natural gas deposits in waters around the island. Ignoring Turkish anger at not being included, the internationally recognised Greek Cypriot government has forged ahead with the search, commissioning international energy companies, including the French multinational Total, to explore allocated blocs off the island for underwater resources.
This month the Turkish president threatened to send more drill ships to the region in retaliation. But an accord reached between Ankara and the UN-backed government in Tripoli in December, delineating new maritime boundaries between the two nations, has taken the bilateral animosity to a higher level.
Waters south of Crete are directly challenged under the agreement with officials in Athens viewing it as a deliberate and unprecedented attempt to undermine the country’s sovereignty. Standing alongside Mitsotakis after their talks, Macron said France “deplores the Turkish-Libyan deal in the clearest terms”.
“What we are seeing is a far more revisionist and aggressive Turkey aiming at change of borders be it on land or sea,” said the international relations professor Aristotle Tziampiris at the University of Piraeus. “That, and Erdo?an’s increasing authoritarianism, is the cause of such tensions and consternation with Greece,” he said. “To counter the aggression, Athens is resolved to strengthen partnerships and strategic alliances, be it with France, other EU allies or the US.”
Tziampiris does not believe the tensions will lead inexorably to confrontation, but the possibility of the two neighbours slipping involuntarily into conflict is real.
“The chances of war are slim, not least because it would be too much of a lose-lose situation,” he said. “But the chances of a [hot] incident, by design or accident, are very real and that is what is worrying us all.”
“John Bolton Denied Publication Approval by White House Three Days Before Selected Manuscript Leak…” by Sundance – January 29, 2020
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2020/01/29/john-bolton-denied-publication-approval-by-white-house-three-days-before-selected-manuscript-leak/
“Ron and Chuck Go Fishing – Johnson and Grassley Want AG Bill Barr To Declassify IG Footnotes…” by Sundance – January 29, 2020
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2020/01/29/ron-and-chuck-go-fishing-johnson-and-grassley-want-ag-bill-barr-to-declassify-ig-footnotes/
“[DS] Getting Ahead Of Deep Fakes, Durham Appoints A New Criminal Chief – Episode 2083b” X22Report – January 29, 2020
11:17 – John Bolton
16:28 – Ron Johnson & Chuck Grassley
How is This a Thing? 30th of January 2020
Wuhan coronavirus confirmed to have spread to every region in China
channel 4 – Inside Wuhan: Ben travels to airport for evacuation from coronavirus epicentre
After a week of living in lockdown, Irish teacher Ben Kavanagh is finally being evacuated from Wuhan – the epicentre of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
He’ll be flying back to United Kingdom along with UK and EU citizens who like him may face two weeks in quarantine when they arrive back home.
Chinese hospital use robots to deliver medicine
Medical teams rush to Wuhan to aid coronavirus control
Female navy nurses assist with coronavirus fight in Wuhan
Supermarkets in Wuhan Keep Sufficient Supply of Goods
Overseas Chinese Donate Medical Supplies to Hubei
Factories across China Producing Medical Supplies to Meet Huge Demand
the rebel – Lawyer REACTS: Ezra Levant secretly videotaped his interrogation by Trudeau’s government censors
Tore Says – Podcast – January 30, 2020
https://toresays.com/tore-says-show/
Tore Says retweeted this tweet:
“They’re out of their duckling minds with this foolishness.”
Emmett MacFarlane – January 30, 2020 – Twitter
Scroll down to Brent Martin’s link:
“Canada’s communications future: Time to act”
Innovation, Science and Economic Development – January 2020
https://twitter.com/EmmMacfarlane/status/1222885584835956738
US-led Coalition and Iraq resume operations against ISIS
https://thedefensepost.com/2020/01/30/iraq-us-coalition-isis-operations/
“Iraq and the U.S.-led Coalition will resume joint operations against Islamic State, nearly a month after attacks bases hosting American personnel forced a pause in the mission.
The Iraqi prime minister’s office said in a Thursday, January 30 statement that: “In light of the continuation of activity of Daesh terrorist gangs in a number of regions in Iraq, and in order to exploit what remains of time for the international Coalition before the organizing of a new relationship between our forces and the international coalition forces, it was decided to establish joint work which facilitates our forces in the field of air support, according to need, and [pertaining to] those forces which are designated by relevant operational commanders.”
The operations will continue “until it is agreed what form future cooperation will take, [a form] which achieves the sovereignty of Iraq over its land and airspace,” it said.
The statement was signed by Adel Abdul Mahdi, who is also commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
The Coalition did not immediately confirm the statement…”
Deal of Century Will Never Bear Fruit: Ayatollah Khamenei
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/01/30/2192273/deal-of-century-will-never-bear-fruit-ayatollah-khamenei
“Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei said the so-called deal of the century proposed by the US “will never bear fruit” by the Grace of God…”
Iran President Deplores Trump’s Deal as ‘Most Despicable Plan of Century’
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/01/30/2192238/iran-president-deplores-trump-s-deal-as-most-despicable-plan-of-century
“Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani denounced the so-called deal of the century proposed by Washington as “the most despicable Plan of Century”…”
Iran Urges French Government to Avoid Violence against Demonstrators
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/01/30/2192372/iran-urges-french-government-to-avoid-violence-against-demonstrators
“Iran’s Foreign Ministry called on the French government to refrain from using violence against unarmed protesters…”
Major Push by Saudi to Overrun Sana’a Thwarted: Yemen’s Army Spokesman
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/01/30/2192283/major-push-by-saudi-to-overrun-sana-a-thwarted-yemen-s-army-spokesman
“The spokesman for Yemen’s Armed Forces said Yemeni army troops and allied fighters from Popular Committees managed to thwart a large-scale offensive by Saudi-paid militiamen against the capital Sana’a…”
‘No president should have a blank check for war’: US House votes to repeal Iraq war authorisation
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-house-votes-repeal-iraq-war-authorisation
“The Democratic-controlled House has taken steps to curb the president’s ability to go to war with Iran, by passing a proposal to repeal the 2002 authorisation for the Iraq war as well as a measure to prevent tax dollars from being used to take military action against Iran without congressional approval.
The measure to repeal the 2002 authorisation was approved with a 236-166 vote, and the funding measure on Iran passed 228-175.
“For far too long, Congress has been missing in action on matters of war and peace,” Democratic Congresswoman Barbara Lee, who sponsored the measure repealing the 2002 war authorisation, said in a statement on Thursday.
The actions follow a 9 January vote by the House asserting that Trump must seek approval from Congress before engaging in further military action against Iran.
All three measures, however, are unlikely to get passed in the Republican-majority Senate.
But the measure to repeal the 2002 authorisation could potentially do away with a law that has been used by the past three administrations to justify military strikes conducted without congressional approval.
Trump’s national security adviser, Robert O’Brien, had initially said that killed Iranian General Qassim Suleimani ealier this month was justified by the 2002 law.
The Trump administration has since changed tack, saying the strike was a matter of self-defense under international law, citing imminent threats to attack US interests in the region.
Meanwhile, Obama used the legislation in 2014 to justify airstrikes in Syria against the Islamic State group, while the Bush administration used the law to authorise military force in Iraq against Saddam Hussein’s government.
Lee called the repeal vote long overdue, adding: “It is time to end giving blank checks to any president to wage endless wars.”
Congress’ power of the purse
California Congressman Ro Khanna, who also sponsored the legislation, said the measure does not prevent Trump from acting in defense of US interests, but that Congress must authorise the spending of federal funds on any such military action.
“It’s high time Congress reasserted our power of the purse and made clear to any president that they must come to us first before taking any offensive military action. War should always be a last resort,” Khanna said.
Republicans, however, rejected the measure, saying Democrats in the House were acting irresponsibly.
“After President Trump took decisive action to take out a brutal Iranian terrorist responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Americans, Democrats now seek to restrain our president and restrict his ability to protect our nation,” said Congressman Steve Scalise, the second-highest Republican figure in the House.
The bills, “severely restrict the president’s authority to protect Americans from terrorist threats and fight ISIS,” Scalise said, referring to the Islamic State (IS) group.
In the Senate, Democratic Senator Tim Kaine said he has at least 51 votes to support his measure asserting that Trump must seek approval from Congress before engaging in further military action against Iran.”
Demonrat talking-points via the WORST of several Qatar/MB/Iran mouthpieces.
“Middle East Eye (MEE) — an increasingly prominent web portal — often obscures its finances, but it increasingly fills the gap as Qatar’s chief agent of influence. Groups like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International incorporate MEE stories, as do newspapers like the New York Times and the Washington Post.
“Delving into the details of MEE … it acts far less as a traditional journalistic outlet and far more as an English-language front for Qatari-supported groups like the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas.”
https://www.aei.org/foreign-and-defense-policy/middle-east/qatars-other-covert-media-arm/
Kurdish-led authorities in Syria plan local tribunal for Daesh fighters
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200130-kurdish-led-authorities-in-syria-plan-local-tribunal-for-daesh-fighters/
“The Kurdish-led administration that runs much of northeastern Syria is planning to organise a local tribunal to try Daesh fighters held captive in the region, a representative of its foreign relations committee said on Thursday.
“We have a plan to start proceedings on-site,” Abdulkarim Omar, the representative of the foreign relations committee of the administration that runs the northeastern quarter of Syria, told reporters in Helsinki after meeting with Finland’s foreign minister Pekka Haavisto.
Fearing a public backlash, many European countries have refused to repatriate their nationals who travelled to Syria to join Daesh and who are now being held captive by local authorities since Daesh lost its last territory in Syria in March last year…”
Jordan agrees $1.3 billion IMF programme
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200130-jordan-agrees-1-3-billion-imf-programme/
“Jordan has agreed on a new $1.3 billion programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and will receive the first installment of $140 million by the end of March, the state news agency Petra said on Thursday.
Jordan will receive nine installments of $140 million to $150 million over the four-year programme, Petra said on its Twitter account. It cited Jordan’s finance minister, Mohammad Al Ississ, as saying the allocations carry a 3% interest rate.
In Washington, the IMF said it reached a staff-level agreement for the $1.3 billion programme that is subject to IMF management approval and consideration by the IMF Executive Board, which is expected in March. It said the programme was aimed at bolstering economic growth and stimulating job creation…”
France sends warships to Mediterranean to deter Turkey
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200130-france-sends-warships-to-mediterranean-to-deter-turkey/
“French President Emmanuel Macron has sent warships to the Eastern Mediterranean to give support to Greece against Turkey’s quest for energy reserves in the region.
Together with Macron was Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who was on a visit to the French capital Paris to gather support against Turkey. Mitsotakis welcomed the decision and described the warships as “guarantors of peace.”
“The only way to end differences in the eastern Mediterranean is through international justice,” he told reporters after holding talks with Macron. “Greece and France are pursuing a new framework of strategic defence.”
Tensions have increased significantly over the past year in the Eastern Mediterranean due to Turkey’s dispute with Southern Cyprus over the distribution of energy resources in the waters off the island of Cyprus.
In June last year, Turkey deployed drilling vessels to search for natural gas in retaliation to a deal struck by Greece, Southern Cyprus and Israel earlier that month, in which the three states agreed to build a pipeline harnessing the reserves of natural gas off the southern shores of the island. This pipeline – named EastMed – which is estimated to produce a profit of $9 billion over 18 years of the reserve’s exploitation, would be supplying gas from the Eastern Mediterranean region all the way to countries in Europe.
Turkey has called on those countries to participate in a fair and equal distribution of the energy resources discovered off Cyprus, insisting that they are attempting to exclude and alienate Turkey by striking their own deal without the consideration of both the major regional player and the people of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Therefore, it stresses that the drilling activities that Turkey is carrying out is legal and within territorial waters.
The EU, however, has repeatedly called on Turkey to give up its claim on having a share in the energy resources, claiming that its activities are “illegal”, leading to the Union to impose sanctions on the Republic in July last year over the issue, as well as due to Turkey’s military incursion – Operation Peace Spring – into northern Syria in October.
As France is one of the most prominent supporters of Greece in the dispute, Macron accused Turkey of being the one responsible for raising tensions as well as causing trouble in war torn Libya. “I want to express my concerns with regard to the behaviour of Turkey at the moment,” said Macron. “We have seen during these last days Turkish warships accompanied by Syrian mercenaries arrive on Libyan soil. This is an explicit and serious infringement of what was agreed in Berlin [conference]. It’s a broken promise.”
Greece itself has reportedly long been prepared for a military confrontation, with Defence Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos recently warning that the country was “examining all scenarios, even that of military engagement.” This was shown with Greece’s arming of 16 Aegean islands last week, in violation of international law which stipulates that they remain demilitarised. When Turkey called on Greece to disarmed them and uphold international law, Greece refused.”
Turkey: Demonstrators protest Trump peace plan, hold signs saying “Jerusalem belongs to Islam”
https://www.jihadwatch.org/2020/01/turkey-demonstrators-protest-trump-peace-plan-hold-signs-saying-jerusalem-belongs-to-islam
EU, Morocco Determined to Strengthen Ties to Face Common Challenges
https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2020/01/292393/eu-morocco-determined-to-strengthen-ties-to-face-common-challenges/
“Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita held talks with the high representative of the European Union (EU) for external affairs and security policy, Josep Borrell, on Wednesday in Brussels.
During the meeting, Borrell and Bourita discussed EU-Morocco relations and developments regarding international and regional issues.
“It is a question of making connections with the new European officials to build on a very positive dynamic launched over the past year with the European Union,” Bourita underlined.
Morocco and the EU maintain strong diplomatic relations with regular cooperation in different fields, including fisheries and migration.
The EU grants Morocco several funds to support the country’s program against irregular migrations and reforms…”
Morocco Shares Prison Management Expertise with African Countries
https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2020/01/292424/morocco-shares-prison-management-expertise-with-african-countries/
“Morocco’s General Delegation for Prison Administration and Reintegration (DGAPR) hosted a forum in Rabat today, January 30, on confronting challenges in prison management.
The event, organized in partnership with the Mohammed VI Foundation for the rehabilitation of prisoners, aims to present the Moroccan experience in managing prison affairs in terms of security and reintegration.
At the continental level, the forum aims to unify the management of security challenges and promote the modernization of prison governance in Africa, under the banner of South-South cooperation.
The two-day forum will highlight the evolution of prison management in Morocco and offer expertise and know-how to the 36 African countries in attendance.
However, Morocco’s own prison management and reintegration programs leave much to be desired.
A DGAPR study released in September 2019 shows that 42% of Moroccan prisoners have committed the same crime twice.
Despite the high number of reoffending inmates, the study shows that only 6% of inmates received government assistance for reintegration. Around 94% of inmates said that they did not benefit from any government assistance before release.
Additonally, a report on Morocco’s incarceration figures for 2018 found that 12 of Morocco’s 15 prisons exceeded their maximum inmate capacity.
Prison overpopulation is an ongoing concern in Morocco, placing pressure on staff and inmates.
A September 2019 report on institutional standards by the head of Morocco’s Court of Auditors Driss Jettou shed light on the conditions of prisoners in Morocco and the overarching infrastructure of the prison system.
Jettou found that the participation of regional directorates in the management of prison institutions was “weak.”
According to the report, “the DGAPR suffers from weak supervision within prison institutions.” Jettou emphasized the significant difference between the number of staff compared to the prison population.
Within the central administration of DGAPR there are also serious gaps in manpower, including vacancies for directors, the Court of Auditors found.
The court report added that field visits to some prison institutions show “deficiencies in the infrastructure,” highlighting a lack of safe areas around the perimeter of most institutions.
Jettou addressed the lack of electronic monitoring equipment to combat the smuggling of illegal products into the prison.
The report also shows that prisoners remain at a high risk of suffocation in the event of a fire within the prison facilities.
Field visits to the prison uncovered the persistence of flammable materials used in the cells, including the beds. The report added that the average space allocated to each prisoner is about 1.8 square meters despite an international standard of 3 square meters.
However, DGAPR has been attempting to remedy some of these issues by rebuilding and updating the prisons and collaborating with international organizations to develop Morocco’s prison management and reintegration systems.”
2019 was the deadliest year for the Afghan children: Amnesty
https://www.khaama.com/2019-was-the-deadliest-year-for-the-afghan-children-amnesty-79879780/
“Amnesty International published its annual report on Asia pacific on Wednesday stating that 2019 has been the deadliest year for the Afghanistan children.
In 2019, Afghan civilians continued to pay the price of the ongoing conflict as justice proved elusive for the victims, Amnesty International said as the human rights organization released its annual report on events in the Asia-Pacific region.
Civilian casualties remained high throughout the year, with July marking the deadliest month on record and Afghanistan remaining the deadliest conflict in the world for children. Hundreds of thousands were internally displaced. Half a million Afghans were forcibly returned from neighboring countries, and several thousand more from Europe, especially Turkey. Journalists and human rights defenders continued to face intimidation, threats, detention and even death for their work.
Justice continued to prove elusive for the victims, as the International Criminal Court refused to authorize an investigation into crimes under international law in the country and the authorities failed to investigate other serious human rights violations, including violence against women and attacks on human rights defenders.
“The armed conflict in Afghanistan is not winding down, it is widening, and the people who continue to pay the price are Afghan civilians. Throughout 2019, they were killed, injured, forcibly displaced and subject to other serious human rights violations by both the government and armed groups,” said Omar Waraich, Deputy South Asia Director at Amnesty International.
“In 2020, the world must shake off its indifference to this long-running conflict, and provide the people of Afghanistan with the protection they need and the justice they are owed.”
The world’s deadliest conflict for children
In the first nine months of 2019, more than 2,400 children were killed or injured in Afghanistan, making it the deadliest conflict in the world for children, Amnesty International said in a statement.
Over the same period, 2,563 people were killed in total and 5,676 injured. The period between July and September was the deadliest on record, with July being the single deadliest month, the statement added.
Most of the attacks were carried out by armed groups, including the Taliban and the armed group calling itself the “Islamic State in Khorasan” (IS-K). In August, a suicide attack claimed by IS-K killed at least 63 people and wounded more than 200.
In the first six months of the year, pro-government and international forces were responsible for the highest number of civilian deaths, according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. In December, a USA-operated drone strike killed five people, including a mother who had just given birth.
“There continues to be a shocking disregard for human life from all sides. There are armed groups who have carried out war crimes, and pro-government forces who are responsible for the deaths of the very people they are supposed to be protecting,” said Omar Waraich.
“The Afghan authorities and the international community have a responsibility to ensure that civilians are protected and that the perpetrators of attacks on them are held accountable.”
Human rights defenders under threat
Human rights defenders in Afghanistan faced threats, intimidation, detention and even death.
In September, the Taliban abducted and killed Abdul Samad Amir of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission. No one has been held accountable for his murder, which amounted to a war crime.
In December, Afghanistan’s National Directorate for Security, the country’s top intelligence agency, arbitrarily detained Musa Mahmudi and Ehsanullah Hamidi, two human rights defenders who had exposed a pedophile ring operating in Logar province.
“Faced with threats from both the state and non-state actors, Afghanistan’s human rights defenders are operating in some of the most hazardous conditions anywhere in the world. The Afghan government and the international community have long paid tribute their bravery, but they must now recognize their achievements, offer them effective support, and ensure that they are respected and protected,” said Omar Waraich.
Forced returns
In 2019, the world continued to turn its back on Afghans who had sought sanctuary from the continuing conflict. Neighboring countries Iran and Pakistan forcibly returned half a million people last year, with more than 476,000 of them being sent back from Iran.
European countries continued to forcibly return Afghan asylum-seekers in the hundreds under various agreements made with the Afghan government, despite the grave risks that they would face upon their return to the country.
Turkey forcibly returned at least 19,000 Afghans as of September 2019 after keeping them in poor detention conditions.
“The conflict in Afghanistan makes it clear that no part of the country is safe for people to be returned to, and yet states continue to do so, in brazen violation of international law, forcing people into harm’s way to face the very dangers they were forced to flee in the first place,” said Omar Waraich.”
Turkey urges France to stop supporting Haftar in Libya
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-urges-france-to-stop-supporting-haftar-in-libya-151548
“Turkey on Jan. 29 urged France to stop supporting Libya’s renegade commander Khalifa Haftar.
“If France wants to contribute to the implementation of decisions taken at the [Berlin] Conference, it should first stop supporting Haftar,” Hami Aksoy, the Foreign Ministry spokesman, said in a statement.
Aksoy’s remarks came in response to French President Emmanuel Macron’sremarks during a joint news conference with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Holding France responsible for the Libyan crisis that emerged in 2011, Aksoy said France “unconditionally supports Haftar to have its say on the natural resources in Libya”.
Haftar’s attack on the legitimate government is a threat to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Libya, he added.
Underlining that a permanent cease-fire should immediately be achieved in Libya as discussed at the Berlin Conference, Aksoy said his country expects from France that it plays a positive role in establishing security and stability in Libya…”
PORTUGAL – ANDRÉ VENTURA (CHEGA) PROPÕE QUE JOACINE KATAR MOREIRA (LIVRE) «SEJA DEVOLVIDA AO PAÍS DE ORIGEM»
Num comentário publicado na sua página oficial na rede social Facebook, a propósito de uma das propostas de alteração ao Orçamento do Estado 2020 do Livre, André Ventura sugere que a deputada Joacine Katar Moreira «seja devolvida ao seu país de origem».
O líder do partido de extrema-direita Chega reagiu, deste modo, à medida apresentada pelo Livre para que o «património das ex-colónias portuguesas que esteja na posse de museus e arquivos nacionais possa ser identificado, reclamado e restituído às comunidades de origem».
O partido de Joacine criticou com veemência as declarações de Ventura e o Bloco de Esquerda acrescentou que este «acto exige de todos uma frontal condenação».
Na publicação, Ventura acrescenta que a ‘devolução’ da deputada do Livre, natural da Guiné-Bissau, seria mais tranquila para «todos», incluindo o partido pelo qual Joacine foi eleita, numa referência à tensão dos últimos dias entre a deputada e a direção do Livre.
Em resposta à publicação de André Ventura, o partido Livre denunciou «ataques de carácter e referências de índole racista por parte de deputados e dirigentes partidários da direita» dirigidos a Joacine Katar Moreira, apontando o dedo ao Chega mas também ao CDS.
Classificando como «deploráveis e racistas» as palavras de André Ventura, o partido de Joacine visa ainda as declarações «sexistas e deselegantes» de Francisco Rodrigues dos Santos, novo líder do CDS, que disse que no seu partido «não há Joacines.»
https://www.abola.pt/nnh/2020-01-28/andre-ventura-chega-propoe-que-joacine-katar-moreira-livre-seja-devolvida-ao/826664
Ventura quer que Joacine “seja devolvida ao país de origem”
O deputado do Chega, André Ventura pediu esta terça-feira, nas redes sociais, que Joacine Katar Moreira seja “devolvida ao seu país de origem”. Na publicação, o parlamentar acrescentou que a deportação da deputada do Livre tornaria tudo “muito mais tranquilo para todos… inclusivamente para o seu partido! Mas sobretudo para Portugal!” [sic]. A reação surge depois de Joacine ter proposto que Portugal devolva às ex-colónias o património cultural destes territórios que esteja hoje em solo nacional.
A proposta do Livre, assinada por Joacine Katar Moreira, pretende que o património das ex-colónias que esteja atualmente na posse de museus e arquivos portugueses possa ser identificado, reclamado e restituído às comunidades de origem. A medida, inserida numa proposta que deseja levar a cabo um programa de “descolonização da cultura” e uma “estratégia nacional para a descolonização do conhecimento”, visa uma alteração ao Orçamento do Estado.
Em comunicado, o Livre reagiu às palavras de André Ventura mas, também, às de Francisco Rodrigues dos Santos – recém-eleito líder do CDS que disse, esta terça-feira, que no seu partido “não existem Joacines”. O Livre escreve que “não pode deixar de repudiar veementemente” os “contínuos ataques de caráter e referências de índole racista e sexista por parte de deputados e dirigentes partidários da direita”.
O Livre condena as declarações “sexistas e deselegantes de Francisco Rodrigues dos Santos” e “as palavras deploráveis e racistas de André Ventura, deputado da extrema-direita portuguesa”. As divergências políticas, conclui o comunicado, não podem nunca justificar este tipo de declarações, razão pela qual o Livre “está e estará sempre na linha da frente do combate a todas as discriminações”.
Também Pedro Filipe Soares, líder parlamentar do Bloco de Esquerda, reagiu às declarações de Ventura. No Twitter, denunciou o “racismo e falta de noção democrática ” do líder do Chega, garantindo que os bloquistas vão propor “uma frontal condenação” destas palavras “ao Presidente da Assembleia da República e a todos os parlamentares”.
https://www.jn.pt/nacional/ventura-quer-que-joacine-seja-devolvida-ao-pais-de-origem-11759217.html
Joacine Katar Moreira ( ENGLISH – )
( 2 min 21 )
VIDEO IN HD on this FACEBOOK PAGE
https://zh-cn.facebook.com/LIVREoficialpt/videos/575831606159028/
Turkey aims to expand relations with Bulgaria: FM
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/turkey-aims-to-expand-relations-with-bulgaria-fm/1719684
“Turkey wishes to expand its friendly relations with Bulgaria in all areas, Turkey’s foreign minister said Thursday.
“I brought our president’s greetings to our people. We want to strengthen our friendly relations with Bulgaria in all areas. Our citizens are also our strongest support in this regard,” said Mevlut Cavusoglu.
Cavusoglu also met with Turkish nationals living in Bulgaria as part of his two-day official visit.”
Libya: UN-recognized government downs drone
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/libya-un-recognized-government-downs-drone/1719358
“Libya’s UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) said Thursday it downed a drone in Tripoli.
GNA forces said the drone was Russian-made and used for reconnaissance purposes, without giving further details.
On Tuesday, the GNA announced the downing an armed drone belonging to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Misrata…”
Fresh EASO support to help speed up asylum in Greece
http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/generalnews/2020/01/30/fresh-easo-support-to-help-speed-up-asylum-in-greece_49608021-6d0d-4177-8057-5757272261c1.html
“Greece is making moves to boost the country’s backlogged asylum service as it looks to speed up processes of applications among the 70,000 it currently has on record from refugees and migrants.
The alternate Minister for Migration Policy, Giorgos Koumoutsakos, and the executive director of the European Asylum Support Office (EASO), Nina Gregori, have signed an agreement which paves the way for the agency to open a branch in Greece to reinforce its support.
The agreement, which was announced on Tuesday, comes hot on the heels after an announcement from EASO that the organization would be doubling its number of personnel operating in Greece, as well as an increase in funding to the tune of 36 million euros for 2020 overall.
Right now, EASO’s operations in Greece are already now at unprecedented levels, with over 500 personnel at any given point, that were deployed in 36 locations in the country in 2019. Ths number will now raise to 1,000 staff.
“EASO has been continuously increasing its operational support and cooperation with the Greek authorities since 2011. We have already started further expanding our support in the country in these weeks, and this agreement gives us the needed administrative and legal framework to do so effectively,” said Gregory in a media statement.
She added: “I want to thank Alternate Minister Koumoutsakos for the renewed effort he put into ensuring that the agreement was finalised as a priority. This continued constructive approach reflects the long-standing and ongoing excellent working relationship EASO has in partnering with our Greek colleagues.” Asylum requests and application processes are notoriously slow in Greece due to the lack of staff and paperwork involved, and the 70,000+ backlog created by the ongoing refugee crisis has exacerbated the situation.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ New Democracy government are trying to live up to their promises of proving faster processing so it can proceed with its plan to close down a total of five massively overcrowded refugee camps in the North West Aegean region on several islands and open more restrictive “closed” holding centers.
As part of the agreement, EASO staff will be sent to camps on both the islands and mainland Greece, and some will also work with the Greek Asylum Service in an effort to speed up the process of granting refugees protection, but while also accelerating deportations and returns.
Over the course of 2019, according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR,a total of 59,726 migrants and refugees arrived on Greek shores, the majority of which landed on Lesvos, Chios or Samos islands just off the Turkish coast.”
Italy should stop ignoring Turkish Cypriots – Ankara
http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/nations/italy/2020/01/30/italy-should-stop-ignoring-turkish-cypriots-ankara_51673ea0-d1d1-481d-ad45-808aab55f979.html
“The Turkish foreign ministry said Thursday that “we urge once again all the members of the EU, and in particular Italy, to abandon an approach that ignores the rights of the Turkish Cypriots”.
In a phone conversation with Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu Wednesday, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio voiced “Italy’s concern over the presence of Turkish ships engaged in unauthorised drilling activities to the south of Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone.”
3,000 mercenaries from Syria and Turkey in Libya, Haftar
http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/generalnews/2020/01/30/3000-mercenaries-from-syria-and-turkey-in-libya-haftar_b933e242-3432-4d3b-b620-574f339ef206.html
“The spokesman for the Libyan National Army under General Khalifa Haftar, Ahmed al-Mismari, said Thursday that 3,000 mercenaries from Syria and Turkey have been brought to Libyan cities. He was speaking at a press conference.
Mismari added that Syrian mercenaries were at the al-Assa base on the border with Tunisia and that ”we know them and we know their objectives”, claiming that ”Turkey is allowing elements of the Islamic State (ISIS) and al-Qaeda to establish themselves on the Libya coast and some of them could also go to Europe”.”
‘We’re setting a clear stop sign’: Berlin passes five-year rent freeze law
https://www.thelocal.de/20200130/were-setting-a-clear-stop-sign-berlin-passes-five-year-rent-freze-law
Turkey blames France for instability in Libya
https://www.france24.com/en/20200129-turkey-blames-france-for-instability-in-libya
“Turkey blamed France on Wednesday for Libya’s instability, after French President Emmanuel Macron accused his Turkish counterpart of failing “to keep his word” to end meddling in the north African country.
“The main (actor) responsible for the problems in Libya since the crisis started in 2011 is France,” Turkish foreign ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said in a statement.
“It’s no secret that this country has given unconditional support to (military strongman Khalifa) Haftar in order to have a say regarding natural resources in Libya,” he added.
Macron claimed earlier on Wednesday at a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis that Turkish ships accompanying Syrian mercenaries arrived on Libyan territory in recent days.
The French leader said the action was a “clear violation” of what Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised at the Berlin conference on January 19 where world leaders vowed to stay out of the Libyan conflict.
“It is a failure to keep his word,” Macron said.
But Aksoy said Macron “was once again trying to set the agenda with fanciful claims.”
Haftar supported by UAE and Egypt
Turkey supports the UN-recognised Government of National Accord in Tripoli against Haftar, who controls much of the south and east of Libya.
The strongman launched an assault in April 2019 to seize Tripoli, and has the support of the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, countries with whom Turkey’s relations are tense.
Aksoy said France’s support alongside other countries giving military assistance to Haftar who is attacking “the legitimate government” was “the most serious threat to Libya’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.”
The Turkish ministry spokesman added: “If France wants to contribute to decisions of the (Berlin) conference being applied, it should first end its support for Haftar.”
Ties between Paris and Ankara are increasingly strained over multiple issues including Syria and the eastern Mediterranean.
When Macron declared NATO “brain dead” last year, Erdogan said the French leader was “in a state of brain death”.
And Aksoy in his statement also accused France of welcoming “terrorists who threaten Syria’s territorial integrity” to the Elysee in a reference to Syrian Kurdish officials meeting Macron last year.”