Day: 6 July 2024

US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with new UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Friday to congratulate him on his appointment.

Secretary Blinken and Foreign Secretary Lammy emphasized the enduring and essential importance of the US-UK special relationship in addressing the most pressing global challenges, according to a statement attributable to US State Dept. Spokesperson Matthew Miller.

Both sides discussed the possibility of reaching an immediate and enduring ceasefire in Gaza, and supporting Ukraine against “Russia’s brutal aggression,” Miller noted.

“The Secretary noted that he looks forward to welcoming the Foreign Secretary to the NATO Summit in Washington next week,” the spokesperson added.

Source: Kuwait News Agency

Reformer Masoud Pezeshkian won the Iranian presidential elections for a four-year term, beating Ali Khamenei’s representative Saeed Jalili.

In a press conference on Saturday, spokesperson of the electoral committee Mohsen Islami said Pezeshkian received 16.384 million votes, while Jalili received 13.530 million votes, out of a total of 30.5 million votes inside the country and abroad.

The rate of participation in the second round of the elections was 49.8 percent, Islami noted.

Source: Kuwait News Agency

US President Joe Biden, in an exclusive interview with ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos, acknowledged last week’s debate was a “bad episode” but pushed back strongly against broader questions about his age and mental fitness.

Stephanopoulos, over the course of 22 minutes, pressed Biden repeatedly not only on his debate performance against Donald Trump but also on reports that his lapses have become increasingly common these past few months — and on what he would be willing to do to reassure the American people.

“Are you the same man today that you were when you took office three-and-a-half years ago?” Stephanopoulos asked. “In terms of successes, yes,” Biden responded. “I also was the guy who put together a peace plan for the Middle East that may be comin’ to fruition. I was also the guy that expanded NATO. I was also the guy that grew the economy. All the individual things that were done were ideas I had or I fulfilled. I moved on.” Biden’s sit-down with ABC News is his first television interview sin
ce the June 27 debate. ABC News reached out to Trump to offer him an equivalent interview opportunity, but his team declined.

The interview is part of a push from the White House and the campaign to recalibrate after Biden’s halting debate performance left some Democrats panicked about his ability to carry out a grueling reelection campaign and a second term.

Looking ahead to a possible second term, Stephanopoulos said the question on the minds of many Americans is whether Biden would be able to serve effectively. If reelected, Biden would be 86 at the end of a second term.

Source: Kuwait News Agency

Participants in a conference that brought Sudanese political rivals together in Cairo on Saturday underlined that it is essential to reach a “total and sustainable” ceasefire in the war-torn Arab country.

During the gathering entitled: “Together to Stop War in Sudan”, the conferees also called for launching an inter-Sudan political dialogue that would lead to a transitional government in the country.

Representatives of Sudanese political factions, the United Nations (UN), African Union (AU), European Union (EU) and several concerned countries partook in the conference.

Addressing the event, Chief of the Arab League’s Sudan and African Horn Division Zeid Al-Saban said from the very beginning the Arab bloc has been working as per main parameters aiming at safeguarding Sudan, its institutions, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and thwarting interference in its internal affairs.

He stressed the significance of launching an inter-Sudan dialogue to put an end to the war and resolve the Sudane
se crisis as soon as possible, cautioning that failure to settle the crisis would only aggravate the anguish of the Sudanese people.

For his part, EU Ambassador in Khartoum Aidan O’Hara said that it is necessary to reach a ceasefire in Sudan and to fend off attacks on civilians, calling for earmarking two billion US dollars for mitigating the impacts of the humanitarian crisis in Sudan.

He hoped that the Cairo-hosted conference would come up with fruitful outcomes and reach a final solution to the several-year Sudanese crisis, underlining that the adverse effects of the crisis on neighboring countries could not be shrugged off.

In this context, the EU envoy called for protecting civilians and providing security and peace for all humanitarian operations, urging all conflicting parties to adhere to international law and stop hostilities.

In his keynote speech, Egyptian Foreign Minister Bader Abdelati called on the international community to honor its pledges made during the Sudan relief conference in June 2
023 and the Paris-host Sudan conference in April 2024.

He emphasized that any genuine political solution to the Sudanese crisis should be based on a homegrown Sudanese vision.

Source: Kuwait News Agency

The United Nations affirmed on Saturday its full support for all initiatives aimed at ending the fighting in Sudan and its commitment to continue supporting efforts to reach peace between the warring sides.

This came in a speech by the United Nations representative and senior advisor for Sudan, Nayla Hajjar, on behalf of the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, at the Sudanese political forces’ conference in Cairo under the title “Together to Stop the War in Sudan,” in the presence of representatives of those forces, the United Nations, the African Union, and the League, Arab countries, the European Union and a number of active countries.

Hajjar said, “the United Nations is always ready, in coordination with international partners, to support all efforts aimed at stopping the Sudanese war and building a safe and stable state. We count on the efforts of the Sudanese civil forces and their unity to overcome the difficulties and look forward to building a fut
ure that protects the Sudanese people.” She stressed the importance of ending all forms of hostility from all Sudanese forces and encouraging the necessary arrangements to protect civilians and deliver humanitarian aid to those affected.

She noted that the comprehensive Sudanese political dialogue will be the distinctive and influential factor in the peace-making process in all parts of Sudanese society.

She added that the UN welcomes the efforts aimed at establishing a comprehensive Sudanese-Sudanese dialogue, noting that today’s meeting is conclusive evidence of that.

On his part, Sudanese journalist Al-Shafi Khedr said in his speech to the conference that stopping the ongoing fight in Sudan will not be achieved only with the strong will and correct vision of all the conflict sides and their conviction that stopping the war and rebuilding requires expanding the principle of acceptance and participation so that everyone can do so, except those who have committed a crime, those should stand before justice.

Kheder said that the two warring parties alone cannot stop and end the devastating war, stressing that the greatest responsibility to end it relies on the Sudanese civil forces because they are the ones entrusted with designing and leading the political process.

Source: Kuwait News Agency

Presidents Abdulfattah Al-Sisi of Egypt and Bashar Al-Assad of Syria Saturday underlined that it is essential to stave off Middle East conflict spillover and maintain regional security and stability.

This came in a telephone conversation between both leaders, which tackled the ongoing regional situation and shared congratulations on the occasion of the Hijri New Year, the Egyptian Presidency said in a press release.

They stressed utter opposition to all attempts by the Israeli occupation entity to liquidate the Palestinian cause or force Palestinians out of their territory, warning of the adverse fallout of the current regional conflict escalation.

The Egyptian president restated that his country would keep struggling to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and to bring humanitarian aid into the enclave in a sustainable and adequate way that would meet the needs of people there.

Al-Sisi added that Egypt would also maintain its endeavors to put the two-state solution in place, including an independent Pales
tinian state.

Source: Kuwait News Agency

Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmad Attaf and his Egyptian counterpart Bader Abdelati on Saturday tackled ways of promoting fraternal ties and cooperation between both countries and coordination over Arab and African affairs.

This came during a phone conversation between both foreign ministers, which focused on how to push forward bilateral cooperative relations in various domains upon the direction of both Arab nations’ leaders, said the Algerian Foreign Ministry in a press release.

They underlined that it is essential to bolster cooperation and partnership in the economic field, based on the two countries’ stupendous potential, it added.

They also agreed to step up collaboration about Arab and African issues, mainly including the Palestinian cause, Libya and Sahel, it added.

Source: Kuwait News Agency

GCC Secretary-General Jasem Al-Budaiwi condemned as “a barbaric crime” the bombardment by the Israeli occupation forces of Al-Jaouni boy’s preparatory school in Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, early Saturday.

The school, run by the UNRWA, was turned into shelter for some 6,000 people internally displaced by the ongoing Israeli occupation’s onslaught on the Strip.

“The barbaric attack proves once again the persistence of the Israeli occupation forces in directly targeting innocent displaced people in Gaza and the entire Palestine,” Al-Budaiwi said in a press release. “This flagrant violation of the international conventions and humanitarian laws is tantamount to a war crime that evidences the serious criminal behavior of the Israeli occupation forces,” he stressed.

Al-Budawi urged the international community to step in immediately, force a cessation of the Israeli occupation’s hostilities and bring the culprits to justice.

He reaffirmed the GCC states’ support to the fair cause of Palestine, vow
ing to do his utmost to ensure protection for the Palestinian people.

The Israeli bombardment on the school killed at least 35 people and injured dozens more, according to the UNRWA.

Source: Kuwait News Agency