Middle East Experience

China, which has a limited role in Middle East peace-making and security, has proposed a five-point initiative to achieve security and stability in the Middle East, including a meeting between Palestinian and Israeli officials in Beijing.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Palestinians welcome Chinese peace initiative

Cairo is intensifying its diplomatic and political contacts with various African countries in an effort to gain support in Egypt's dispute with Addis Ababa over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Egypt cultivates Burundi in shadow of Nile dam crisis

The United Arab Emirates has called for the maximization of pressures on what remains of ISIS in Syria and Iraq and for diminishing threats of their influence expanding in West Africa and Africa’s Sahel region, state news agency WAM reported on Tuesday. In an address before the virtual meeting for foreign ministers of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS Small Group took place on Tuesday, the UAE’s Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem bint Ibrahim al-Hashemy emphasized the importance of the country’s work in conflict and war-ravaged areas such as Syria and Iraq to restore stability and provide humanitarian relief and essential oil supplies to the needy. For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.As co-president of the Coalition Stabilization Working Group, the UAE plans to continue participating in critical projects across the areas that have been liberated from the extremist terrorist group ISIS, she said. “The UAE proclaims its continued commitment to work along with international partners in combatting the spread of hate propaganda and incitement out of its principled commitment towards the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh (ISIS). The UAE will also continue its diligent efforts aimed at getting rid of the poisonous ideologies propagated by the terrorist group,” said al-Hashemy. The UAE has contributed a great deal to counterterrorism in the region. The country provided $178.3 million in aid and launched programs to support achieving stability in areas liberated from ISIS in Syria and Iraq. The country’s aid programs in Iraq focused on projects aimed at addressing peoples’ basic needs such those pertaining to energy and water. In East and West Mosul specifically, the projects also focused on the rehabilitation of hospitals and residential units which was done in cooperation with the UN Development Program. The UAE also contributed to restoring a variety of religious sites in Mosul, such as the al-Hadba Minaret and al-Saa’a, al-Tahera Churches, and the Great Mosque of al-Nuri, with the help of UNESCO as part of the ‘Revive the Spirit of Mosul’ initiative. The country also launched programs in Syria to help with food security, health and the rehabilitation of infrastructure to provide water and electricity.Read more:UAE supports Lebanon, Mohammed bin Zayed tells Saad Hariri in Abu Dhabi meetingThree held in Italy over fake kidnapping that turned real in SyriaSyrian refugee faces racist threats, quits bid for German parliament seat
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: UAE calls for maximizing efforts to diminish ISIS threat in Syria, Iraq, elsewhere

Saudi Arabia on Wednesday reported an increase in the number of coronavirus cases with 585 new infections, according to the Ministry of Health.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.The death toll rose by six to 378,083.The Kingdom recorded 369 new recoveries on Wednesday, bringing the total recoveries to 378,083.There are 5,255 active COVID-19 cases in Saudi Arabia, 693 of which are critical cases, the health ministry said.Riyadh, the capital, reported 234 cases, while the Eastern Province had 110 cases, and Mecca had 103.Read more:Unemployment among Saudi Arabians dropped to 12.6 pct in Q4 of 2020: AuthoritySaudi Arabia reports 556 COVID-19 cases in 24 hoursSaudi Arabia to spend more in next 10 years than in the past 300 years: Crown Prince
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi Arabia reports 585 COVID-19 infections as cases continue to increase

Sudan has paid $335 million as agreed to compensate victims of past anti-US attacks as part of a deal that removed the struggling country from the US terror blacklist, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.The transitional, civilian-backed government provided the funds for survivors and victims’ families from attacks including the 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania by al-Qaeda.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“We hope this aids them in finding some resolution for the terrible tragedies that occurred,” Blinken said in a statement.“With this challenging process behind us, US-Sudan relations can start a new chapter,” he said.“We look forward to expanding our bilateral relationship and to continuing our support for the efforts of the civilian-led transitional government to deliver freedom, peace and justice to the Sudanese people.”Sudan agreed to the package last year as it desperately sought to exit the US blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism, a designation that severely hindered investment in a country rattled by unrest over tough economic conditions.Former president Donald Trump agreed last year to remove Sudan but only after securing an agreement by Sudan to recognize US ally Israel.The delisting enjoyed wide agreement in Washington although some said it was unfair by focusing on US victims and not providing the same compensation to Africans who made up the bulk of the dead in the 1998 bombings.The compensation will also cover the 2000 attack by al-Qaeda on the USS Cole off Yemen’s coast and the killing of US development worker John Granville in Khartoum in 2008.Strongman Omar al-Bashir was toppled in April 2019 after mounting street protests.Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has vowed to turn a page by ending conflicts and bringing more economic opportunities, and put an early priority on reconciling with the United States.Last week the United States said it had assisted Sudan with more than $1 billion in credit to clear arrears, making the country again eligible for support from the World Bank and IMF.Read more:US officially removes Sudan from State Sponsor of Terror list: EmbassySaudi Arabia, UAE, welcome removal of Sudan from US State Sponsor of Terror listSudan’s interim government and main rebel group restart peace talks
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: US receives 5 mln from Sudan in victim compensation: Blinken

Disagreements over the dollar exchange rate and foreign loans have blocked the parliament from passing the country's budget bill for a fifth time.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Despite Baghdad-Erbil agreement, Iraq fails to pass federal budget bill

Saudi Aramco said on Wednesday the government had no plans to impose private partnerships on the oil giant, after it launched a program to support private investment in the Kingdom as part of Saudi Arabia’s diversification push.Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said on Tuesday state-controlled Aramco and petrochemical firm SABIC would lead investments of 5 trillion riyals ($1.3 trillion) by the local private sector by 2030 under a program called Shareek (Partner).For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The initiative aims to mobilize investment by the private sector of the world’s biggest oil exporter to help wean the economy off reliance on crude, which still accounts for more than half the state’s income.“This is a voluntary program. It’s on the private sector to bring these projects, to ask for incentives,” Aramco Chief Executive Amin Nasser told Reuters in an interview about Shareek.He promised Aramco’s shareholders, who include a small minority of private investors since the company was listed, that the firm would set prudent capital allocation and cost criteria.Nasser said it was too early to say how the new program would affect Aramco’s dividend and investment plans, adding that the government was not asking Aramco to be part of specific projects.Read more:Saudi Arabia to spend more in next 10 years than in the past 300 years: Crown PrinceSaudi Crown Prince announces Saudi Green Initiative, Middle East Green InitiativeRussia will work on the Saudi Green Initiative, says sovereign wealth fund CEO
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi Aramco private investment plan voluntary, not state imposed: CEO Amin Nasser

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi held talks in Riyadh to discuss bilateral relations between the two countries, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Wednesday.The Prime Minister of Iraq Mustafa al-Kadhimi arrived earlier on Wednesday in the Kingdom’s capital city and was received at King Khalid International Airport by the Crown Prince.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The purpose of the prime minister’s visit was to discuss the relations between the two countries and establish prospects for further cooperation in the region, Al Arabiya reported.Al- Kadhimi’s visit comes at an important time to discuss and collaborate on social, political and economic issues, Iraqi ambassador to Saudi Arabia Abdulaziz al-Shammari said in a statement to Al Arabiya.The two countries plan to increase border crossings so that more important meetings between businessmen operating in the two countries can be held, the ambassador added.Read more:Saudi Arabia’s King Salman speaks with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-KadhimiSaudi Arabia’s Crown Prince calls Middle Eastern leaders to discuss Green InitiativeUnemployment among Saudi Arabians dropped to 12.6 pct in Q4 of 2020: Authority
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, Iraq’s PM discuss bilateral relations in Riyadh 

The AstraZeneca doses arrived in Yemen as Doctors Without Borders warned of a dramatic increase in coronavirus cases.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Yemen get first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines

The container ship found itself stuck in the Suez Canal on March 23rd and disrupted shipments scheduled to cross the major global waterway for almost a week..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Did the blocking of the Suez Canal impact Qatar's gas shipments? – Doha News | Qatar