Brics special envoys on middle east meet

Peace proposals that ignore “the resolutions of the Arab summits, resolutions of the UN Security Council, and international legitimacy, primarily the approval of the Palestinian people and the president’s signature, will be doomed to failure,” Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said in a statement on Saturday. … [Read more...] about Palestinians: Trump Envoys’ Middle East Trip ‘Waste of Time’

Meanwhile, Iran and other powers sparring with Riyadh, like Qatar, are spreading the message about how pleased they are about the crisis, a European official told HuffPost. Combined with Turkey’s seemingly deliberate campaign to use the moment to boost its regional standing, that reality has countries content with the status quo, like Jordan, nervous about any shift that might rock the boat ― no matter how good the intentions for, say, reducing Western military cooperation with Saudis. Few in the Saudi camp are for now eager to turn to the kingdom’s foes, Khatib said. … [Read more...] about How Saudi-Friendly Middle East Dictators Are Handling The Jamal Khashoggi Scandal

The references to ancient ties are a staple of the marketing surrounding OBOR – and the land and maritime territory grabs that it represents. In the South China Sea, where China claims most of the body of water as part of its “Maritime Silk Road,” Xi Jinping has repeatedly claimed that international waters belong to China because they have done so since ancient times. In a Xinhua propaganda piece on OBOR in 2015, the state outlet claimed, “for thousands of years, the Silk Road Spirit … has been passed from generation to generation, promoted the progress of human civilization, and contributed greatly to the prosperity and development of the countries along the Silk Road.” … [Read more...] about Xi Jinping Heads to Middle East to Sell One Belt, One Road

In 1993 a statement from the Friends of Ireland in the US said: "On this St Patrick's Day, the Friends of Ireland in the US Congress join with Irish Americans... in calling for renewed efforts to achieve peace, reconciliation and justice in Northern Ireland." … [Read more...] about State papers: Ex-US President Carter mooted as potential special envoy to NI

“This is why the late King Hussein and King Abdullah II are consistently on the record as opposing the idea and have repeatedly said that they are only willing to discuss the idea once Palestinians are genuinely independent,” he said, arguing that the idea pitched by the U.S. “is totally impossible.” … [Read more...] about Palestinian and Jordanian Leaders Reject Donald Trump’s Confederation Plan for Middle East Peace