Se fino ad ora la protezione dei paesi del Golfo Persico (leggi: delle principali rotte petrolifere mondiali) è stata appannaggio degli Stati Uniti, a breve il ruolo di guardia a largo delle coste arabe potrebbe passare alla Cina. La zona marittima che va dal Golfo di Aden allo Stretto di Hormuz è fondamentale per l’approvvigionamento energetico cinese, nonché per la stabilità dell’intero mercato petrolifero globale. Ogni giorno, quasi 4 milioni di barili di greggio transitano attraverso il primo e oltre 13 milioni per il secondo. Un commercio messo a rischio dai pirati, fenomeno che le forze navali internazionali non riescono a debellare. Conscia dell’importanza di tali rotte e dell’incapacità dell’Occidente di presidiarle, Pechino pare aver deciso di provvedere da sé. Circa l’85% del petrolio importato dalla Cina passa dall’Oceano Indiano, rendendo questo immenso specchio d’acqua un’arteria vitale per le forniture energetiche del Dragone. Appare superfluo segnalare la preoccupazione degli Stati concorrenti (Usa e India in primis), sospettosi del fatto che la crescita della navale cinese non sia altro che un nuovo capitolo dell’espansione di Pechino in Africa, fonte di gran parte delle materie prime da essa importate. La protezione delle rotte energetiche, un tempo di esclusiva competenza degli Usa, manifesta comunque il progressivo (e inesorabile?) cambio della guardia nella gerarchia geopolitica globale.

The executive and economic officials of Foshan industrial town in southern China called for the further expansion of mutual cooperation with Iran.

The Chinese officials made the remarks in a meeting with Iranian Consul General in Guangzhou Ali Reza Salarian. The Guangzhou economic officials, including head of Foreign Trade Promotion, Deputy Head of Chamber of Commerce, Director-General of Foreign Affairs and representative of a big company having economic relations with Iran held talks with Iranian official.

The two sides underlined exchange of economic delegations between Foshan and the Iranian cities. Foshan with a population of 7.5 million is located in southern China. The most important products of the city are aluminum, furniture, home appliances, ceramic and chinaware.

Source IRNA

 Il Dipartimento del Tesoro degli Stati Uniti ha inserito il nome di Abdulwahab Al-Humaiqaniil, membro del  National Dialogue Conference (NDC), nella lista dei terroristi. Al-Humaiqani è anche segretario generale di Al-Rashad Union, un partito politico salafita che è stato riconosciuto dal governo yemenita nel giugno 2012.

The party asked, in a statement released on Friday, that the U.S. administration remove Al-Humaiqani from its list of persons receiving sanctions for allegedly funding the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda. The party also says it will take legal action against the U.S. for financial and mental harm suffered by Al-Humaiqani as a result of the allegations. “The government of Yemen must defend its citizens,” the statement also read.  The U.S. Treasury Department accuses Al-Humaiqani of “using his position as head of a Yemen-based charity to raise money, [some of which has been] sent to Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.”The U.S. also accuses him of “facilitating financial transfers from Al-Qaeda supporters in Saudi Arabia to Yemen.” None of the alleged Saudi Al-Qaeda supporters have been named or added to the Treasury Department’s list.  According to the Treasury Department, being placed on the “global terrorist” list freezes any assets one might have [in the United States] and bars American citizens from conducting any business with the accused.  Neither the Yemeni government nor the NDC administration has announced an official position on the allegations. The Al-Rashad Union has growing political clout in Yemen. “Representatives of the Al-Rashad Union have been active participants in the NDC and their attendance might even be as high as 100 percent,” said Yasser Al-Ruaini, the deputy secretary general of the conference.  According to him, the party holds seven of the 565 seats at the conference. Members of the party say they were shocked by the recent sanctions. “The U.S. labels anyone who does not support its policy a ‘terrorist,’” said Ibrahim Al-Ahmadi, a member of the Al-Rashad Union’s Supreme Committee.  He said that the U.S. had, in the past, enlisted Al-Humaiqani to document civilian deaths in drone strikes in Yemen, as he also works for AlKarama, an NGO headquartered in Geneva that monitors human rights abuses. Al-Humaiqani is a cofounder of the international organization and the head of the Yemeni branch. According to Al-Ahmadi, the U.S. neither notified Al-Humaiqani nor contacted him before taking action against him. “The U.S. does not provide evidence to justify adding anyone to this list, and anyone can easily be blacklisted,” said Abdurrahman Barman, a lawyer at the National Organization for Defending Rights and Freedoms, known as HOOD. Barman believes that the U.S. has sanctioned Al-Humaiqani for “defending human rights and exposing American crimes taking place in Yemen through the use of drones.”

Source Yemen Times

Nel paese dei cedri è difficile dire quale sia la priorità del momento: gli attentati terroristici, il coinvolgimento di Hezbollah in Siria, i problemi economici o la mancanza di un governo. Per un osservatore della politica libanese, gli unici simboli della presenza dello Stato sono la bandiera, gli ultimi due cedri rimasti in vita in tutto il paese e le Forze armate libanesi. Non sorprende dunque se l’esercito stia cercando – a fatica – di ritagliarsi un ruolo. Il comandante dell’esercito libanese, Gen. Jean Kahwagi, ha assicurato – dopo gli ultimi attentati – che le LAF risponderanno prontamente a qualsiasi attacco israeliano e agli attentati terroristici che intendono minare la sicurezza nella città meridionale di Sidone. “L’esercito è pronto a rispondere a qualsiasi aggressione israeliana e non concederà spazio di manovra a qualsiasi minaccia. Ogni atto aggressivo avrà una risposta e questa sarà immediata “, ha detto Kahwagi.

He also praised the efforts of soldiers and officers in preserving security along the border areas and defending them against Israeli aggression.
“The Lebanese Army is eager to preserve stability in the south and committed to maintaining its security in cooperation with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon,” Kahwagi added.
“But it [the Army] is also aware of the Israeli enemy’s intentions toward Lebanon, particularly its attempts to take advantage of internal disputes to foment strife among the Lebanese,” Kahwagi added.
His remarks came during a tour of Army units in the southern district of Marjayoun and Sidon. Kahwagi also visited UNIFIL headquarters in the southern border village of Naqoura.
He said the Army’s strength stemmed from Lebanon’s right to national sovereignty, whether in land, air or sea, and from its obligation to defend its sovereignty, with support from the people and the international community.
At UNIFIL’s headquarters in Naqoura, Kahwagi met Maj. Gen. Paolo Serra, the head of the peacekeeping force, along with senior UNIFIL officers.
During his meeting with Serra, Kahwagi stressed the importance of daily coordination and joint work between the Army and the international troops in accordance with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701.
He said Israel was repeatedly violating the resolution among other international laws, while Lebanon was respecting its international commitments.
Kahwagi told Serra that the Army was eager to protect peacekeepers in south Lebanon just as much as its Lebanese soldiers.
“General Kahwagi’s visit to UNIFIL today is a strong reaffirmation of the trust and friendship that define our cooperation at every level and in all our work together in pursuance of our mandate under Resolution 1701. Our strategic partnership with the Lebanese Armed Forces remains one of the main pillars for the success of our mission,” Serra said after the visit.
Kahwagi also visited Lebanese soldiers deployed in the coastal city of Sidon and the nearby Zahrani district and praised their role in preserving security in the area.
“Everybody knows the enormous sacrifices you are making and what happened in Al-Awali, Abra and Majdalyoun is a clear indicator that we will not remain silent if the Army is targeted,” the Army commander said, addressing the soldiers.
Last week, Army checkpoints in Al-Awali in Sidon and the city’s suburb of Majdalyoun were targeted in two separate suicide attacks, killing an Army first sergeant and wounding three soldiers. The assailants were affiliated with fugitive Salafist Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir.
In June, the military clashed with armed supporters of Assir after his gunmen ambushed a military checkpoint in the Sidon suburb of Abra.
At least 18 Army soldiers and dozens of Assir’s supporters were killed in the confrontation.
“You are shouldering the great mission of preserving the stability of Lebanon during a difficult phase in which internal and external sides are trying to engage in a destabilization campaign by targeting you with suicide and other security attacks to weaken the Army, in order to undermine the unity of Lebanon,” Kahwagi said. “But everybody will figure out that you are up to the responsibility and the challenges.”
Kahwagi described Sidon as the city of coexistence and assured residents that the Army would double its efforts in the city and its surrounding areas, as well as the coastal road to protect them from security incidents and “will not allow the hands of terrorists to strike in Sidon.”
Separately, a tenuous calm reigned in the Western Bekaa village of Suweiri Monday, as the Army heavily patrolled the village.
The Army restored calm to the village Sunday after a clash between two families left six dead and several others wounded, heightening fears of sectarian violence in Suweiri.
The fighting began with a personal argument Saturday and developed into armed clashes between the families of Chouman and Janbayn. The fighting renewed Sunday, bringing the death toll to six, four from the Janbayn family and two Choumans. The Choumans are Shiites while members of the Janbayn family are Sunnis.
Members of the Janbayn family Monday held the funeral of two men killed Sunday, Ahmad Janbayn and Khaled Janbayn, an Army first sergeant.
President Michel Sleiman followed up on the situation in Suweiri with the relevant officials, voicing his regret that the clashes left casualties and that houses were set ablaze, a statement from his office said. He said the spirit of love should prevail and the interests of Lebanon should come first.
Sleiman expressed relief over security measures taken by the Army and Internal Security Forces to restore peace and order in the village.
Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt said in a statement that the Suweiri clashes were an alarm bell that should prompt Lebanese officials to adopt a rational rhetoric and reconcile their differences by forming a national unity government.

Source Daily Star

Negli ultimi giorni la Libia è finita di nuovo sulle homepage di molti siti di news di tutto il mondo. La rivalità tra le varie milizie rispecchia gli scontri interni al traballante governo libico: i gruppi più laici fanno riferimento al ministero della Difesa, mentre i gruppi islamisti fanno capo al ministero dell’Interno. Chi comanda chi, comunque, non sempre è chiaro. Lo stesso Parlamento è diviso su linee simili, con l’Alleanza delle Forze Nazionali – coalizione elettorale che raggruppa circa 60 movimenti politici libici di ispirazione moderata e laica – che si scontra con il braccio politico del movimento islamista dei Fratelli Musulmani. Ultimo provvedimento preso dalle autorità é la chiusura di due strade del Jebel Nafusa, la strada tra Azizia e Ghariyan e Azizia e Bir Ghanem, che saranno chiuse a partire da Giovedi 26 a causa dei continui episodi di violenza a danno degli automobilisti. Il Jebel Nafusa Joint Camera Security ha annunciato una vasta operazione delle forze di sicurezza nella zona.

At the heart of the problem lies the continuing conflict between the towns of Warshefana and Zawia. In October, the road running through Warshefana territory was blocked after a series of attacks. Councils from Zintan, Jadu, Mizdah, Ghariyan, Nalut, Oala and Rujban formed a committee that sought to pressure the government to introduce proper security along the routes.
Deputy head of Ghariyan local council, Ali Moghairbi told the Libya Herald today: “We have submitted several memoranda to the government and the National Congress, but unfortunately, so far there has been no reply. So in order to avoid further problems and to maintain the security of motorists, it has been decided to close the road”.
Moghairbi said that the Jebel Nafusa councils would themselves be securing an alternative route from Wadi Al-Hera, Sbea, Qaser Ben Ghashir to Tripoli.  He added that the road closures would stay in place until “the criminals”, whose identity was known to their local councils and the government, were arrested.

Source Libya Herald

L’ex vice-presidente del Sud Sudan, Riek Machar, ha assicurato che le forze sotto il suo comando hanno preso il controllo dei pozzi petroliferi del paese. La situazione in Sud Sudan è di “crescente urgenza”, ha detto il segretario generale dell’Onu Ban Ki-moon, puntando i riflettori sulle notizie di “uccisioni etniche” sempre più spaventose. Chiederà perciò al Consiglio di Sicurezza – ha detto – un rafforzamento delle capacità di protezione dei civili della missione in Sud Sudan (Unmiss) con truppe addizionali, forze di polizia e strutture logistiche.

In an exclusive interview with Sudan Tribune on Monday, Machar revealed a plan to halt oil revenue remittances to Juba.
He said no money would go to the government in Juba, explaining that his group plans to divert oil revenues and deal directly with Sudan in implementing the September 2012 cooperation agreements, as they are in control of the concerned states.
“We will establish an extra account to which the oil revenues will be remitted for the economic interest of the people of South Sudan”, said Machar, adding that Juba will be isolated until his group takes over power from president Salva Kiir.
On 15 December, serious clashes erupted in the capital, Juba, after “misunderstandings” between the presidential guards, mainly from the Dinka and Nuer ethnic groups.
Kiir accused Machar and his supporters of orchestrating a coup attempt, accusations his former deputy denies, saying the president was simply using the incident as a ploy to get rid of his political opponents.
Rival factions within South Sudan’s army (SPLA) have been fighting since Sunday, with the conflict increasingly divided along tribal lines.
While Machar has left the capital, Juba, his forces have made significant gains in the past six days, and are now in control of Jonglei and oil-rich Unity state.
The government has vowed to retake Jonglei capital Bor, the capital of Jonglei, although Machar claims a sizeable force of government troops was defeated between Juba and Mangala, forcing a retreat back to the capital.
KIIR ADMITS LOSSES
While addressing the country’s national legislative assembly, the president conceded his government had lost control over two of the country’s 10 states.
“Machar now has control over Jonglei state and he has control over Unity state. These are the two states that he has control over. How many states do we have? We have 10 states. And if you control two states you will still be the minority”, Kiir told lawmakers on Monday.
He advised people not to listen to what he described as “rumours” being circulated by forces loyal to Machar.
“They are advising people to flee and run away from Juba. I will tell the people don’t listen to these rumours”, Kiir said.
Machar claimed on Monday that his forces had captured most parts of Upper Nile state; another oil-rich state north of the country, as more army divisions reportedly pledged their loyalty to him.
“Division seven under Major General Lual Chol has today (Monday) declared its loyalty”, Machar told Sudan Tribune, as fighting erupted early Monday morning between anti-government forces and those loyal to president Kiir, across most Upper Nile counties.
Meanwhile, further violence is expected in some remaining areas still under government control, including the capital, Malakal.
MACHAR DISMISSES “PROPAGANDA”
However, Machar said the whole of Upper Nile will “soon” fall under his control, dismissing what he described as government “propaganda” on the radio, which he said “misleads” citizens that the president remains in control.
He said his forces will protect oil companies and workers in the two oil-producing states of Upper Nile and Unity.
Machar has also criticised Kiir’s government for allegedly backing the shutdown of oil companies, after rebels took control of the oil fields, saying the move would affect people’s livelihoods.
Machar called on oil companies in the area to continue their operations under the protection of his forces.
Analysts, however, say the capture of the oil-producing states is a major blow to the Juba government, which depends on oil revenues for 98% of its budget revenues.

Source Sudan Tribune

Un attentato contro una stazione di polizia nel nord dell’Egitto ha causato nella notte almeno 12 morti e circa 100 feriti. Le autorità accusano i Fratelli musulmani di essere dietro l’attacco ed il premier Beblawi ha definito la Fratellanza “organizzazione terroristica”. L’autobomba è esplosa a Mansura, circa 100 km a nord del Cairo.

At least 12 people were killed and more than 100 wounded in a massive explosion at a security compound in Egypt’s Nile Delta area of Dakahlyia on Tuesday.
A security source said the blast may have been caused by a car bomb, but it was not clear if it was suicide attack or not.
State TV said at least 14 people were killed and more than 100 hurt. It said the attack was the worst in the city’s history and two senior security officials were among the wounded.
Another security source it was still unclear what caused the explosion, “but it seems to be a big one that led to the collapse of parts of the security building”.
Suicide attacks on soldiers and policemen have sharply risen in Egypt since the army ousted Morsy in July amid mass unrest against his rule.
The state-run Middle East News Agency quoted Beblawi as saying that those responsible for blast “will not escape punishment.”
Brotherhood officials, most of whom are on the run or out of the country, could not be immediately reached for comment on the government charges that they were behind the blast.
CHAOS, BURNED CARS
Witnesses in Dakahlyia said many cars inside and outside the security compound were burned out and the entire city was in chaos as people were hurrying to hospitals to check on victims.
Egypt’s Nile News TV cut into its late-night programming to urge people to go to hospitals to donate blood to the victims.
Most bomb attacks since Morsy’s overthrow have occurred in the Sinai region, which borders Israel and the Palestinian Gaza Strip. Around 200 soldiers have died in Sinai since July.
Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim survived a suicide car bomb attack targeting his convoy near his home in Cairo last September.
Morsy’s dramatic exit triggered a wave of violence that started with police attacks on his supporters’ two main camps in Cairo on August 14 in which hundreds were killed.
That violence prompted a wave of attacks on churches and police stations. Thousands of Islamist activists have been arrested in the unrest and around 100 policemen killed.

Source Egypt Independent

The source said the ambush by Hezbollah took place early Saturday and that the bodies of the slain Nusra Front fighters were in the group’s possession.
A source close to the party identified Ali Dergham Fares as the slain Hezbollah fighter, adding that another member was wounded in the clashes that followed the ambush.
Fighting erupted between the fighters and the Syrian rebels in Wadi al-Jamala, on the outskirts of Nahle, a rugged mountainous area along the porous border between Lebanon and Syria.
Separately, the senior security sources said a Hezbollah fighter was killed in the ongoing fighting in teh Qalamoun region between forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad and rebel groups.

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