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While there is a broad range of Arabic language media outlets reporting stories from and about the Middle East, there is currently no affordable and reliable means for English speakers to gain access to this content. As a result, many English speaking businesspersons, students, journalists and others who have an interest in the affairs of the region are largely unaware of what the Middle East media is covering and how they are covering these stories.

Mideastwire.com aims to close this gap by offering a daily menu of translations covering some of the key political, cultural, economic and opinion pieces appearing in the media of the 22 Arab countries and the Arab Diaspora. Through this effort, we hope to address at least one aspect of a global disconnect that continues to threaten a wide spectrum of socio-political and economic relationships, both here in the region and beyond.

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TODAY’S DAILY BRIEFING

04-Apr-2016

Algeria

Politics

Report details Egyptian-Algerian security agreement (El-Khabar, Algeria)

Arab Diplomacy - Military and Security

On March 29, the daily El-Khabar reported: "Algeria and Egypt have signed a memorandum of understanding on security issues between the two countries in presence of the minister of interior and local assemblies, Noureddine Bedoui, and his Egyptian counterpart, Majdi Abd-al-Ghaffar, to determine cooperation mechanisms between the two countries through setting up a legal framework to ensure efficient cooperation in security matters that would enable them to deal with the challenges facing the region, particularly with regard to the rise in cross-border organized crime and combating terrorism. The former Egyptian deputy interior minister, Brigadier General Abd-al-Latif al-Budayni, praised the agreement signed between Algeria and Egypt, and stressed that any measure leading to cooperation between two security apparatuses in two different countries is very important as they improve peace and security in the region… (Read More)

“Crisis between Algeria and Saudi Arabia” (El-Khabar, Algeria)

Arab Diplomacy

On April 3, the El-Khabar daily newspaper carried the following report: “The Algerian-Saudi relations are going through a real crisis, one that reached a pinnacle with the visit of the the Syrian Foreign Minister, Walid al-Muallem, last week after having gone through a phase of being frozen throughout the past phase due to the conflicting points of view regarding the joint Arab action and the regional affairs… (Read More)

Iraq

Politics

"Fiery Shiite Criticism of Saudi Ambassador's Statements..." (Al-Quds al-Arabi, United Kingdom)

Arab Diplomacy

On March 27, the Qatari owned Al-Quds al-Arabi reported: "The "State of Law Coalition" bloc, headed by Nuri al-Maliki, launched a scathing attack against the statements of sympathy expressed by Saudi Ambassador in Iraq Thamer al-Subhan, over the suffering of Falluja. His statements mentioned that what is happening in Falluja is "something normal due to the prioritizing of private interests and marginalization." On Sunday, the bloc called on the government to put an end to the Saudi ambassador's behaviour. The bloc's president, Qasim al-Araji, said in a statement: "Al-Subhan's interference in Falluja's events shows sectarian bias, far from diplomacy and far from reality." He called on the Iraqi Government to "put an end to the Saudi ambassador's behaviour, for his defence of terrorism, and for launching unrealistic statements." Al-Araji hinted that the Saudi Embassy, in this way, "appears as a platform for racial and sectarian incitement."… (Read More)

“Accusations and fictive pages pursue nominated ministers, prior to opening of “closed envelope”” (Al-Mada, Iraq)

Democracy and Party Politics

On April 4, the independent Al-Mada newspaper carried the following report by its correspondent in Baghdad Wael Nehme: “The quasi-official Al-Iraqiya channel carried breaking news on Thursday, saying that Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had entered parliament’s session while carrying a “white envelope.” And before Al-Abadi had raised his hand before the wide assembly of deputies, to announce that the closed envelope included the names of ministers in the new formation, media outlets had started leaking some of those names. At this level, deputies from the State of Law Coalition believed that the leaking of the list of proposed ministers was done by sides close to the “experts committee,” which unilaterally drew up the nominations. Throughout a whole month, the prime minister had concealed the identity of the members of the ministerial committee for unclear reasons… (Read More)

Jordan

Politics

“Will the fire of the Deraa front backfire against Jordan?” – Part one (As-Safir, Lebanon)

Arab Diplomacy - Military and Security

On April 2, the independent, leftist As-Safir daily carried the following report: “Did Jordan dispatch “military consultants” to Deraa? In light of the wide extent of the Jordanian intervention in the Syrian southern front over the past years, this question seems quite unimportant. What difference does it make for a few Jordanian officers to have entered Deraa or not as long as most of the commanders of the factions affiliated to the Free Army are receiving their orders from the MOC [Military Operations’ Command] room, which has been based in Amman for more than two years?… (Read More)

Lebanon

Opinion

“Lebanon’s dignity and the sex trafficking of Syrian women” (Al-Quds al-Arabi, United Kingdom)

On April 4, the Qatari-owned Al-Quds al-Arabi daily carried the following lead editorial: “At close intervals, many reports came out from Lebanon, the worst of which was the discovery of a sex trafficking ring dealing in mainly Syrian girls, who were forced to practice prostitution, were enslaved and raped, and underwent forced abortions, psychological and physical torture, and mutilation. The preliminary investigations revealed that the aforementioned ring was present in many Lebanese regions, and lured Syrian women by claiming to have work for them. And the security operations, which led to the liberation of 75 girls and the arrest of some members of the ring, uncovered a wide Lebanese slavery and sex trafficking market involving Syrian girls, headed by a businessman and comprehensive criminal gangs..., even a medical branch in which a doctor recognized the performance of nearly 200 abortions… (Read More)

Politics

“Concerns over a detonation in the Ain el Helweh camp” (Al-Rai al-Aam, Kuwait)

Unrest

On April 4, the independent Al-Rai al-Aam daily carried the following report: “The Ain el Helweh camp near the city of Saida in South Lebanon overcame a second security setback in less than a week. This setback raised questions concerning its real motives and whether this is the result of the Palestinian forces’ failure to shield the security and stability in the largest Palestinian camp or whether this goes beyond the geographical borders into the developments taking place in the “country of the cedars” in light of the positions voiced out by some Lebanese officials on the possibility of postponing the municipal elections in the event of any security-related events; or even the regional developments in light of the features of the ongoing settlement in Syria in addition to the growing crisis between Saudi Arabia and Iran… (Read More)

Morocco

Politics

"Unemployed raised "Benkirane should go away" slogan," (As-Sabah, Tunisia)

Democracy and Party Politics - Governmental Reform

On April 1, the daily As-Sabah reported: "Hundreds of unemployed people have again forcefully taken to the streets in a protest mass march. Organisers the day before yesterday Wednesday wanted participating groups and coordination committees to start the march from various points before converging on Mohamed V Avenue and then moving on to Parliament. Participants in the march threatened to engage in an unprecedented escalation open to any eventualities until they are granted "their right" to be integrated into the civil service. They are holding the government responsible for any development of the situation. The march by the unemployed was marked by a strong police intervention to break the protest, which resulted in several protesters more or less seriously injured, including blind people. The latter marched bare-foot and carrying bread to protest concomitantly with the commemoration of the national day of people with special needs. They consider that the right to have a job in the civil service is equivalent to the right to life. All the groups of unemployed have stressed that they will continue the struggle and escalation until their claims to be integrated in the civil service are met… (Read More)

"Morocco rejects Ban-Ki Moon's "apology", casts doubt over "misunderstanding" (As-Sabah, Tunisia)

Arab Diplomacy - Peace Process - United Nations

On March 31, the daily As-Sabah reported: "The UN's regretful statements have only further escalated the position of Morocco that has cast doubt on the excuse of there being a "misunderstanding", and underlined that the negative impact of the statements and acts of UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon on the position of Morocco regarding the artificial Sahara conflict, cannot be erased. The foreign ministry the day before yesterday Tuesday went as far as considering that the unacceptable statements and acts by the UN secretary general during his recent tour in the region cannot be reduced to a "misunderstanding" because this is a case of "acts of unprecedented gravity that can be neither justified nor erased"… (Read More)

Saudi Arabia

Opinion

“Why did the Westerners fail to understand the “new Saudi Arabia?” (Okaz, Saudi Arabia)

On April 4, the pro-monarchy Okaz newspaper carried the following opinion piece by Dr. Nasser Nafeh al-Barrak: “Most Western analysts, particularly the British and some American ones, have been trying to demonize the Saudi actions ever since its new command reached power, although followers of the political history of the Kingdom and the entire region believe they are logical. Hence, these writers and analysts perceive the Saudi steps, i.e. [Operation] Storm of Resolve, the Northern Thunder [exercises], the [formation of the] Islamic coalition, the involvement in the Syrian file, the discontinuation of the aid to the Lebanese Army, the severance of the ties with Iran, and the classification of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, as being nothing more than a sectarian alignment which will further fuel the conflict in the region… (Read More)

Syria

Opinion

“Al-Assad’s fate leaps to the front again…” (Website, Middle East)

Peace Process - USA Europe

On April 2, the Rai al-Youm electronic daily carried the following piece by Abdul Bari Atwan: “The story began with a news report carried by Al-Hayat newspaper in eight columns on its first page yesterday where it referred to an American-Russian agreement regarding the departure of President Bashar al-Assad to a third country within six months. We don’t believe that this newspaper could have published this piece of news without having received it from the diplomatic channels that wish to deliver a message or even detonate a bomb a week prior to the launching of the direct negotiations’ round between the government and the opposition next Monday in Geneva… (Read More)

“Syria and the Russian-American understanding” (Al-Watan Syria, Syria)

Peace Process - USA Europe

On April 4, the state-controlled Al-Watan newspaper carried the following opinion piece by Dr. Osama Sammak: “Has a permanent solution map truly been drawn up in Syria? Why was the issue of federalism raised at this point in time in particular? Firstly, we must say that the political and military events surrounding Syria have grown faster in an unprecedented way, ever since the Russian intervention to support the army in its war against its enemies on the Syrian operations scene... This led to a Russian-American understanding over the main headlines of a solution that has been reached for Syria, leaving the details up to the Syrian sides and people, on a beat regulated by the two superpowers to ensure that they remain within the limits of the headlines drawn up by the international sponsors. At this point we must point to the statements of Russian Deputy Foreign Minister [Sergei] Ryabkov… (Read More)

“Two complementary policies: Naturalize the refugees and export terrorism?” (Al-Quds al-Arabi, United Kingdom)

Refugees - Terrorism - USA Europe

On April 4, the Qatari-owned Al-Quds al-Arabi daily carried the following opinion piece by Dr. Issam Naaman: “The NATO states’ leaders and the UN secretary general believe that the naturalization of the Syrian refugees in the neighboring states is the best solution. In order to promote that policy in preparation for its implementation, Ban Ki-Moon recently visited Lebanon with a team of UN economists, followed by British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond. And soon, a visit will also be conducted to it by French President Francois Hollande... While in Lebanon, Ban Ki-Moon did not deny the UN’s involvement in a plan to naturalize the refugees where they are, though he stated upon his departure there was a plan to naturalize more than 400,000 refugees before the end of 2018, without naming the states that will carry this heavy burden… (Read More)

Turkey

Opinion

“Why has the situation been detonated in Nagorno-Karabakh?” (Newspaper, Middle East)

Military and Security - Unrest

On April 4, the Omani Al-Watan daily newspaper carried the following piece by Khamis al-Tobi: “Without any preambles or prefaces, a new wave of fighting exploded at the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory between Azerbaijan and Armenia, thus leaving dozens of dead victims due to the use of heavy weapons… Regardless of the historic, geographic, and ethnic backdrops, the detonation of the situation in this territory does not seem to be a mere coincidence. The nature of the developments there and their interconnection might provide clues indicating that someone has an interest in re-starting the conflict in the South Caucasus region at a time when the USA and Russia are proceeding towards a truce, at least seemingly, while the American-Turkish relationship is witnessing a cold phase on the backdrop of the Syrian crisis… (Read More)

Yemen

Politics

“Saudi coup against UAE: Ousting Bahah and appointing Al-Ahmar as Hadi’s deputy” (Al-Akhbar Lebanon, Lebanon)

Arab Diplomacy - Military and Security - Peace Process

On April 4, the Al-Akhbar daily newspaper carried the following report: “…In a step reflecting the Saudi pressure towards coming up with a quick political settlement for the conflict in Yemen, the ousted president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, issued a number of decisions yesterday including the appointment of Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, as his deputy, and the [dissident] secretary general of the General People’s Congress, Ahmad Obeid Ben Degar, as a prime minister in succession to Khaled Bahah who was appointed as Hadi’s consultant. The decision to sack Bahah from his post as prime minister was justified by the failure of the government to carry out its tasks… (Read More)

“Yemen: Hadi expels Bahah and appoints Bin Dagher as prime minister...” (Al-Quds al-Arabi, United Kingdom)

Military and Security

On April 4, the Qatari-owned Al-Quds al-Arabi daily carried the following report by its correspondent in London Muhammad Jamih: “A Yemeni source at the presidency said that yesterday night, President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi issued presidential decrees by which he appointed a vice president, an advisor and a prime minister. Indeed, the source said to Al-Quds al-Arabi over the phone that the Yemeni president appointed Dr. Ahmed Obeid Bin Dagher as prime minister instead of Engineer Khaled Mahfouz Bahah, whom he dismissed from his post as vice president and prime minister and appointed as advisor to the president. It is worth mentioning that disputes had been prevailing between Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi and former Vice President and Prime Minister Khaled Bahah, whom he named as his advisor… (Read More)

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