24-03-2019

EDITORIAL
SUNDAy,
MARCH 24, 2019
4
Egypt’s struggle to stop the threats coming across its borders
Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam
Telephone: +8802-9104683-84, Fax: 9127103
e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com
Sunday, March 24, 2019
Need for reviewing
CHT treaty
A
peace
treaty worthy of its name must be based
on reasonable and uniform justice meted out to
all the parties involved in it. A treaty
superimposed on one side without the wholehearted
acceptance of its provisions generally by those
included in the other, always remains vulnerable to
unraveling from its fundamental flaws of not doing
justice proportionately to all the sides in it.
Resentments build up among the deprived party or
parties and sooner or later the same can lead to an
outburst or reaction scuttling the intended objectives
of the treaty.
The Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) treaty concluded
by a previous Awami League led government in 1997
for facilitating the paramount position of the tribal
people over this hill region of Bangladesh appears to
be a classic example of such a treaty that leaves the
seeds of discord and dissension dangerously alive.
Ironically, it is called a peace treaty when the
attempts for its enforcement would create anything but
peace in the region for its unfair treatment of one of
the two sides in it--- the Bengali people who form
nearly half of the population of the area but who would
be relegated to the position of worse than even third
class citizens in their own country politically,
economically and administratively from the
implementation of this treaty. But it was reported time
and again that the government is planning to make up
for lost time and getting ready to enforce different
provisions of the treaty that could even lead to
establishment of tribals' land rights in reserved areas
under the government not to speak of that of Bengali
settlers.
Under the terms of the CHT treaty, Bengalis who are
over 90 per cent of the population of Bangladesh
would lose rights to buying and selling lands in the
CHT, not allowed to settle in the CHT or migrate to it,
largely taken out of the governmental administration
of the region and even disenfranchised in the sense
that only a few of them would be allowed to contest for
elective offices while the same would be monopolized
by the tribal population. The full implementation of the
CHT treaty would virtually create another self
governed country like entity for the tribals within
Bangladesh.
Therefore, the government should take a fresh look
at the treaty and go for a dialogue with the tribal
representatives with a view to amending and
improving it. Such treaties are nothing so inviolable
that the same cannot be considered for amendments
and improvements to meet the ends of justice and
fairplay and in the highest interest of the country.
The Chittagong Hill Tracts ( CHT) which comprises
nearly one fifth of Bangladesh physically, is a very
resourceful area . The fulsome implementation of the
treaty would only pave the way for its ultimate
breaking away from Bangladesh to form a separate
country.
Foreign conspiracy is rife in the area. Many foreign
Christian NGOs are operating among the tribals and
instigating them to work for a separate state which they
call Jhoomland. The present government of
Bangladesh must understand these realities and take
preventive measures so as not to take blame for
presiding over the dismemberment of the country.
The tribals are complaining about non
implementation or slow implementation of the peace
deal. But that they never intended to live up to its
provisions was manifest from major sections of their
insurgent Shantibahini not handing over their arms as
well as not giving up their insurgent behaviour. Last
week's bloody shooting down of our law enforcers and
others in the CHT was stark manifestations of this
reality.
It is credibly sensed that the tribal insurgents only
surrendered about 10 per cent of their arms and
ammunitions and that too nearly obsolete ones during
the signing of the treaty. Thus they are in possession of
the greater part of their armoury and only added to
them over the years. Furthermore, taking advantage of
substantial withdrawl of our armed forces from the
CHT as per the treaty's requirements, they have
virtually established their fiefdom in the area
preparing for the establishment of their cherished
Jhoomland. Therefore, it is high time for our
government to wake up to the sordid realities and act
against these designs before it becomes too late. Our
government definitely was not short of sincerity and
best intentions in signing the treaty. But it takes two to
make true peace. Peace cannot succeed as long one side
remains only committed to it superficially.
Clearly, the insurgents who are hardly any better
than bandits in most of their activities, will need to be
dealt with firmly by the security forces. One main
activity of the insurgents seems to be regular extortion
of the Bengali population and keeping them in
perpetual insecurity. Therefore, there can be no
compromise or leniency when they are flouting the
peace treaty they had signed.
Peace must be established for normal life and living
of 'all' people in the CHT. Meanwhile, a lasting political
solution to the region's problems must be sincerely
worked at by all sides. But the tribalsmust realise that
no peace deal will work as they go on demanding more
rights that would make them more equals in
comparison to their Bengali neighbours.
Egyptian Army's armored vehicles
are seen on a highway to nrth Sinai
during a launch of a major assault
against militants in Ismailia in February
2018. (Ministry of Defence/Handout via
REUTERS)
Egypt's four borders are a source of
constant concern for the Cairo
government, as the flaming conditions to
the north, south, east and west have not
abated in recent years, especially with the
outbreak of the so-called "Arab
Spring."The danger of terrorism comes
from all sides, while there are other risks
associated with illegal immigration and
smuggling contraband and drugs, all of
which threaten the state and its stability,
especially as Egypt is engaged in a fierce
war with extremism while also facing
countless economic challenges.
In Gaza, there have been widespread
protests against Hamas, which controls
the Strip. The popular "We Want to Live"
movement in Gaza has called for a
comprehensive strike in response to
Hamas' crackdowns and policies that
have caused deteriorations in the living
and humanitarian conditions.
A vengeful hunger for revolution is
looming in Gaza, while Hamas is trying to
abort it by carrying out a campaign of
arrests of activists, protesters and the
employees of human rights
organizations. Several areas in the Gaza
Strip, including Khan Younis and Deir Al-
Balah, have witnessed demonstrations,
and a young man even set fire to himself
in protest against the deteriorating living
conditions. Gaza's two million residents
This is a tale of two free-trade
agreements. The first, between the
European Union and the countries
of the Gulf Cooperation Council, has
languished unsuccessfully in limbo, being
periodically negotiated for 20 years, with
no resolution in sight. The second,
between Singapore and the GCC,
concluded in 2013, is the first free-trade
agreement signed by the bloc with a
country outside of the Middle East.
After Britain leaves the European
Union - whether it is at the end of the
month or after a short delay - it will need
to decide what kind of country it wants to
be, free of continental constraints.
One model is Singapore, a low-tax, lowregulation
beacon of free trade; this
indeed is the ideal Brexiteer vision, and
the one most likely to come about if the
UK exits without a deal.
But becoming like Singapore is fraught
with uncertainty. It means more than
merely changing the UK's relationship
with the European Union. It will mean
changing the UK's relationship with itself.
The first test of this new vision will
come in the Arab Gulf region.
Britain's exit from the EU is usually
seen as a chance to do things differently.
But in the Gulf region, the best the UK can
do is more of the same. In some ways, an
FTA with the GCC ought to be one of the
UK's easiest. Barriers to trade are already
low: Import tariffs hover around 5%,
although the GCC-Singapore deal made
almost all imports tariff-free, so there is
room for improvement.
The year after the Brexit referendum,
DR. ABDELLATIF EL-MENAwy
complain of poor economic conditions
and social services in the territory, which
has been controlled by Hamas since
2007. The volatile situation, caused by
the policies of Hamas on the one hand
and the suffocating blockade imposed by
the Israeli occupation forces on the other,
is a harbinger of a new crisis for Egypt,
which has recently suffered from an
influx of armed militias through the
tunnels between the Gaza Strip and Sinai.
The Egyptian army has been trying to
clear the Sinai Peninsula from Daesh
terrorists. Among the measures taken by
the army in recent years include the filling
in of tunnels, which were a major
inconvenience to the Egyptian authorities
because they were usually the main
channel for the influx of militants into the
Sinai.
Egypt has succeeded in filling in a large
number of tunnels, the latest of which
was announced by the army this month.
Counterterrorism forces in North Sinai,
in cooperation with military engineers,
discovered and destroyed nine tunnel
openings that were up to 2 meters by 2
meters in size. They led to three main
tunnels on the Gaza border, with depths
of up to 30 meters and lengths of up to 3
km. The tunnels were used by terrorist
elements for infiltration and the
smuggling of arms, ammunition and
explosive materials.
Egypt has always faced threats from
across its borders, probably because it is
an important civilization, or maybe
because it is a central state in the Middle
East whose role transcends its four
borders. Pulling motors, electrical cables,
lighting materials, headsets and fuel were
found inside the tunnels. Two vehicles
were discovered and destroyed, and 40
Gaza's two million residents complain of poor economic conditions and social
services in the territory, which has been controlled by Hamas since 2007. The
volatile situation, caused by the policies of Hamas on the one hand and the
suffocating blockade imposed by the Israeli occupation forces on the other, is a
harbinger of a new crisis for Egypt, which has recently suffered from an influx of
armed militias through the tunnels between the Gaza Strip and Sinai.
the UK's international trade minister
celebrated the fact that British companies
exported more than £30 billion (US$39.4
billion) in goods and services to the GCC
every year, more than exports to China.
Since then trade has grown. The United
Arab Emirates and the UK alone have a
bilateral trade target of £25 billion by
2020, and the other major economies of
the GCC - Saudi Arabia and Qatar - are
keen to expand their imports from and
investments in the UK.
In particular, as GCC countries look to
diversify away from hydrocarbons, many
will seek to expand their education,
health-care and financial-services sectors.
These are all sectors in which British
services are strong, offering considerable
opportunity for further cooperation.
What, on the other side, though, does
the Gulf want from the UK? The short
answer is stability and continuity. At the
moment, most of the trade between the
two is focused on oil and gas and defense
sales. But defense will not be covered by a
free-trade agreement and is usually a
FAISAL AL yAFAI
bombs, as well as materials used in the
manufacture of improvised explosive
devices, were also found.
Egypt's western border with Libya
extends for 1,115 km, which means that it
is difficult to achieve full control over.
Libya has become one of the key focal
points for extremist groups after the fall of
the Qaddafi regime. As a result, a number
of forces there are fighting for power,
including some illegal armed groups.
government-to-government matter, so
from the GCC's perspective, the
continuity of a good political relationship
is key.
The same applies to stability. Sovereign
wealth funds and private citizens are
heavily invested in the UK real-estate
market, so a decline in prices or
fluctuations in the exchange rate can have
an impact. However, those things are
beyond the scope of an FTA. There are
also issues like visa-free access, which the
GCC has already requested.
In fact, what the GCC wants from the
UK isn't entirely more trade - it's less
politics. The GCC wants to trade with the
EU without what it sees as unnecessary
interference in Gulf states' domestic
politics, in particular with regard to
clauses about human rights. There is
mutual suspicion
The sticking points in the EU free-trade
negotiations have been mainly over
politics: The GCC wants to trade with the
EU without what it sees as unnecessary
interference in GCC states' domestic
The Egyptian army's battle on the
western border is difficult, and the armed
forces are constantly announcing the
destruction of terrorist vehicles or
strongholds close to the border. However,
on March 1, Libyan National Army
spokesman Brig. Gen. Ahmed Al-
Mesmari announced full control of the
Libyan border, while the Libyan army, led
by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, has
launched an extensive campaign against
terrorist groups.
Col. Miloud Jawad, the undersecretary
general of the Interior Ministry of the
Libyan Interim Government based in
Tobruk, said in January that the ministry
had begun building a wall at its eastern
border crossing with Egypt to help
prevent the infiltration of militants and to
combat smuggling across the border.
However, many security experts in Egypt
have questioned the effectiveness of the
wall in preventing the infiltration of
terrorists.
To the south, Sudan has never been a
secure border because of its mountainous
nature. Smuggling at the Sudanese
border has seen weapons and drugs cross
into Egypt, as well as the infiltration of
dangerous individuals who use Egypt as a
gateway to Israel. Although the western
border has been used more than the
southern border for arms smuggling over
the years, Egyptian border guards'
attempts to thwart smuggling attempts
are continuing.
Source : Arab news
Road to ‘Singapore-on-Thames’ runs through Gulf
Lebanese President Michel Aoun will
be visiting Moscow on March 25-26
for a summit with his Russian
counterpart, Vladimir Putin.
The talks will be multi-faceted, dealing
with a Russian-engineered return of Syrian
refugees from Lebanon, which will be high
on the agenda, along with military
cooperation and economic investment.
A warming of Lebanese-Russian ties is
only natural after all, given Russia's
dominance in neighbouring Syria, a
country that has historically had the upper
hand in Lebanese affairs - even during its
times of weakness. One hundred years ago,
the modern state of Lebanon was carved
out of Greater Syria, and ever since, the fate
of the two countries has been incredibly
intertwined.
One year ago, the Russian Foreign and
Defence Ministries announced an
ambitious project for the repatriation of 2
million Syrian refugees from neighbouring
countries. They were needed to physically
take part in the rebuilding of their destroyed
homes, and to help project Putin's image as
a problem-solver in the region. Putin wants
to take credit for being the person who
solved Syria's refugee problem - starting
from Lebanon, which hosts nearly 1.5
million Syrians.
Their return has been slow, however, due
to fears of arrest by Syrian authorities, and
lack of basic services in their towns and
villages. Prime Minister Sa'ad Hariri was
opposed to it one year ago, claiming that
death or arrest awaited them across the
border. President Aoun thought otherwise,
Britain's exit from the EU is usually seen as a chance to do
things differently. But in the Gulf region, the best the UK
can do is more of the same. In some ways, an FTA with the
GCC ought to be one of the UK's easiest. Barriers to trade
are already low: Import tariffs hover around 5%, although
the GCC-Singapore deal made almost all imports tarifffree,
so there is room for improvement.
however, and so did his allies in Hezbollah.
They argued that Hariri wanted them to
stay because they were generating money
for the Lebanese economy, through a
constant cash flow from international
donors and the United Nations.
Additionally, the majority of them were
Sunni Muslims, raising the ire of Hezbollah,
who argued that if they overstayed their
welcome, these refugees would slowly
embed into Lebanese society, tipping the
delicate sectarian balance in favour of the
Sunni community.Hariri has now
seemingly abandoned the project - along
with the portfolio of refugee affairs, which
went to a protege of the president last
January after being in the hands of the
Prime Minister's Future Movement since
2016. The new minister, Saleh Garib, visited
Damascus last month despite Hariri's
insistence that no member of his
government engages with Syria before a
political deal is reached, under UN auspices.
He laid the groundwork for a systematic
return of Syrian refugees, which Aoun
SAMI MOUBAyED
hopes to put into action after his upcoming
meeting with Putin. Last April, Aoun's
former Defence Minister Yaacoub Sarrouf
travelled to Moscow where on the sidelines
of a security council he was expected to sign
a military agreement with the Russians. It
had been proposed by Prime Minister
Dmitry Medvedev in February 2018 at the
urging of President Putin. It called for the
opening of Lebanese airspace, airports and
naval bases for the Russian military, who
are already stationed a stone's throw away
at Hmeimeem in Syria. Putin was also
offering 15 years of interest-free delivery of
Russian arms to Beirut, worth $1.5 billion
(Dh5.51 billion), along with intelligence
sharing, and the training of Lebanese troops
on counter-terrorism. The agreement never
saw the light of day, due to fears among the
US-backed Lebanese political elite, who
feared the wrath of Donald Trump, should
they sign such a document. Hezbollah MP
Nawaf Al Mousawi spoke in its favour in
Parliament, saying: "Why don't we head
towards Russia and China and get arms
politics, in particular with regard to
clauses about human rights. There is
mutual suspicion: The EU is suspicious
that a current lack of political
liberalization also means the GCC doesn't
really want economic liberalization
either, while the Gulf suspects that EU
clauses about human rights are a way to
interfere further in domestic affairs in the
future.
To do a free-trade deal, then, will mean
changing how the UK operates, dropping
more political issues and focusing on pure
trade. That is precisely what the
Brexiteers want, and what the GCC
prefers. But from the perspective of the
UK, it will mean altering the way Britain
has negotiated deals for decades;
changing its offer to countries over the
circumstances of bilateral trade; and,
indeed, changing its relationship with
itself. It remains to be seen whether the
Singapore vision is one that commands
support in the UK.
Singapore's success has been built on a
very specific political and social culture,
one that includes aspects that the British
public might favor (such as low taxes and
minimal regulation), others that the
public definitely won't want (such as low
public spending in a country devoted to
its deep-pocketed National Health
Service), and things that the UK simply
cannot copy even if it wanted to (such as
Singapore's modest population of five
and half million or its broadly cohesive
society).
Source : Asia times
Lebanon’s slow shift into Russia’s orbit
One year ago, the Russian Foreign and Defence Ministries announced
an ambitious project for the repatriation of 2 million Syrian refugees
from neighbouring countries. They were needed to physically take part
in the rebuilding of their destroyed homes, and to help project Putin's
image as a problem-solver in the region. Putin wants to take credit for
being the person who solved Syria's refugee problem - starting from
Lebanon, which hosts nearly 1.5 million Syrians.
from these great countries? Why is the
Lebanese government hesitating in signing
the agreement with Russia? Syria has a
relationship with the Russian Federation,
so why doesn't Lebanon get included
underneath Russian air cover as well?" He
then boomed: "If the Russians want
military bases and airports, why don't they
use Beirut and Riyak (in the Bekka Valley)?"
The presidential summit is boosting
econ-omic relations one month after the
Russian-state owned firm Rosneft was
granted a 20-year year licence to manage
and upgrade an oil storage facility in Tripoli.
Earlier, Russia's Novatek joined France's
Total and Italy's ENI in drilling for oil in the
eastern Mediterranean - an operation
strongly contested by the Israelis who claim
that the drilling would be taking place in a
block claimed by both countries.
Mike Pompeo was recently in Beirut,
expressing US support for Israel on this
matter, and urging Lebanese officialdom to
reconsider. His calls fell on deaf ears,
however, in a country that is shifting slowly,
perhaps even at a snail's pace, into Russia's
orbit. Hezbollah insists on going ahead with
the drilling, and so does Michel Aoun.
Meanwhile, bilateral trade between the
two countries currently exceeds $500
million, while Lebanon imports $900
million worth of Russian goods annually,
mainly oil and hydrocarbons. Aoun has
plenty of reasons to invest.
Source : Gulf news