Fragile Syria ceasefire enters second day

Syria’s fragile ceasefire has entered its second day with reports of scattered airstrikes and bombings, but overall the slowdown in fighting – regarded as the most successful effort yet to reduce the bloodshed in the five-year civil war – appeared to be holding.

Warplanes, believed to be either Syrian or Russian, bombed seven villages in the provinces of Aleppo and Hama, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Several airstrikes hit central and northern Syria on Sunday, a monitor said. The Russian coordinating unit in Syria said there had been nine breaches of the ceasefire, although the partial cessation of hostilities appeared to be broadly intact. Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Britain-based monitor, said one person had been killed in Aleppo province.

“[Saturday] was the first day that people could really go out and walk in the streets,” a Syrian opposition leader told Reuters.

The US and Russia are monitoring the ceasefire from separate command centres. The two superpowers are responsible for deciding whether some attacks on eitherIslamic State (Isis) or the al-Nusra Front, two jihadi organisations excluded from the deal, are permissible. The two groups occupy at least half of Syria, but maps drawn up by the US and Russia do not show exactly the same territories that are excluded from the ceasefire.

Both superpowers have accepted there will be contested ceasefire breaches, and the real test of the deal will be whether they can not only agree that a breach has occurred but also prevent a repetition.

Guns mostly fall silent on first day of Syrian ceasefire

Guns mostly fell silent in Syria and Russian air raids stopped the first day of a cessation of hostilities on Saturday, that the United Nations has described as the best hope for peace in five years of civil war.

Under the US–Russian accord accepted by President Bashar al-Assad’s government and many of his foes, fighting should cease so aid can reach civilians and talks can open to end a war that has killed more than 250,000 people and made 11 million homeless. Russia, which says it intends to continue strikes against areas held by Islamist fighters that are not covered by the truce, said it would suspend all flights over Syria for the first day to ensure no wrong targets were hit by mistake.

The truce seemed largely to be holding, though rebels reported what they described as occasional government violations. One commander warned that if unchecked, the breaches could lead to the agreement’s collapse.

Jaish al-Nasr, a group affiliated to the Free Syrian Army (FSA) which has backed the truce, said government forces had fired mortars, rockets and machine guns in Hama province and that warplanes had been constantly present in the sky.

“Compared to the previous days it is nothing, but we consider that they broke the truce,” Mohamed Rasheed, head of the group’s media office said.

Another FSA-affiliated group, Alwiyat Seif al Sham, said two of its fighters had been killed and four more wounded when government tanks shelled them in rural areas west of Damascus.

A Syrian military source denied the army was violating the truce agreement. State media described rocket attacks near Damascus and several deadly attacks byIslamic State. But overall the level of violence was far reduced.

“Let’s pray that this works because frankly this is the best opportunity we can imagine the Syrian people has had for the last five years in order to see something better and hopefully something related to peace,” UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said at a midnight news conference in Geneva.

“I think that the feeling that we have today is that the situation is very different but of course every day has to be monitored,” he said.

‘I witnessed the birth of Isis’: how one film-maker captured the horror of Iraq

At some point during this film from deep inside Iraq’s many wars, one asks oneself, shattered: “Do I need to watch this?” Jihadi executioners clear a pavement opposite a marketplace and shoot a suspected informer while he kneels, hooded, then kick the body casually. Next, the Islamist fighters are hanging alleged looters from a rafter by their bound wrists so that their quarry dangles there – “like piñatas”, says the commentary – before bullets rip through them. And there is worse to come, in a different way, from the less fervent but more arrogant cruelty of American soldiers.

And the answer is: yes, we absolutely do need to watch this film. For the violence is not gratuitous, quite the reverse: it propels a searing film-essay by the cameraman and subject of the piece, Australian reporter Michael Ware, who is unique among we correspondents who covered that carnage, for having actually lived in Iraq for seven bloody years, after which he suffered what can only be called a breakdown before mustering the courage to make his “video-diary”. Unique too for having penetrated deep within first the insurgency loyal to Saddam Hussein, then the Islamist genesis of what is now Isis. “I witnessed the birth of what is now Islamic State,” says Ware. “It’s there in the film.” The result, Only the Dead, is the most disturbingly poignant reporting to come from this horror, initiated and ignited 13 years ago by decisions made in London and Washington and which, never-ending, spilled into Syria, France, Tunisia and elsewhere. And rages still, for the foreseeable and unforeseeable future.

Ware’s film, from the beginnings of this nightmare in 2003, was released on digital platforms last week and will soon be shown by HBO in America. He may be criticised for showing the violence as it was and is, and as the Iraqi insurgents want it shown; for being “embedded” with them, as well as with western forces like most others (though not me, I hasten to add). There is also the haunting closing scene, when Ware watches and films American soldiers search and insult a man they have fatally wounded in the head, who takes a horribly long time to die, and to whom they do not administer first aid – rather: “Hurry up and die, motherfucker.”

President Rouhani set for emphatic vote of confidence in Iran elections

Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, earned an emphatic vote of confidence and reformist partners secured surprise gains in parliament in early results from elections that could accelerate the Islamic Republic’s emergence from years of isolation.

While gains by moderates and reformists in Friday’s polls were most evident in the capital, Tehran, the sheer scale of the advances there suggests a legislature more friendly to the pragmatist Rouhani has emerged as a distinct possibility. A loosening of control by the anti-western hardliners who currently dominate the 290-seat parliament could strengthen his hand to open Iran further to foreign trade and investment following last year’s breakthrough nuclear deal.

“The people showed their power once again and gave more credibility and strength to their elected government,” Rouhani said, adding he would work with anyone who won election to build a future for the industrialised, oil-exporting country.

The polls were seen by analysts as a potential turning point for Iran, where nearly 60% of its 80 million population is under 30 and eager to engage with the world following the lifting of most sanctions.

Millions crowded polling stations on Friday to vote for parliament and the assembly of experts, which selects the country’s highest authority, the supreme leader. Both bodies have been in the hands of hardliners for years.

Supporters of Rouhani, who promoted the nuclear deal, were pitted against hardliners close to the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who are wary of detente with western countries.

Jeddah Economic Forum to discuss Kingdom’s privatization drive 

JEDDAH: Opportunities opening up in Saudi Arabia’s various economic sectors as a result of the ongoing privatization drive will be in focus at the three-day Jeddah Economic Forum (JEF), which begins Tuesday.
Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal will inaugurate JEF at the Jeddah Hilton, with the participation of a number of high-profile Saudi and global economic experts and chief executive officers.
The theme of JEF 2016 is: Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs): Collaboration for Impact.
“The forum will bring together public officials and private industry leaders to enable effective implementation of public-private partnerships in the Kingdom,” the organizers stated.
It will be a platform for the Ministry of Economy and Planning led by Adel Fakeih to present their privatization strategy and showcase opportunities in the housing, transport, energy, water desalination, aviation, health, and education sectors.
The annual forum, organized by the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), has come to be known as "Davos of the Middle East."
Basil Al-Ghalayini, CEO of BMG Financial Group, told Arab News on Sunday that the forum will facilitate knowledge creation about business development opportunities.
“Regulatory issues and risk management will be discussed in the context of potential privatization opportunities in a variety of sectors,” he said.
Al-Ghalayini will be moderating the Housing Panel on Day 2 of the deliberations with leading local and international participants from both, the public and private sectors.

Prominent among those who are listed as speakers at the forum are: Prince Abdullah bin Musaed bin Abdulaziz, general president, Youth Welfare, Amr Khashogi, VP HR & group affairs, Zahid Group, Khaled H. Biyari, CEO, Saudi Telecom Co., Fahd Hamidaddin, chief commercial officer of King Abdullah Economic City, Basmah M. Omair, CEO of Alsayedah Khadijah Bint Khawilid Businesswomen center, Nahed Taher, owner and CEO, GulfOne Investment Bank, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, chairman, DP World and Jacques Attali, economist, writer and president of Positive Planet. 
Gabriel Chahine, partner with management consultancy Strategy& (formerly Booz & Co.) and head of the health care practice, who will be moderating the session on identifying health care privatization opportunities on a national scale, said the focus will be on clarifying the expectations of investors from governments and private partners as well as developing effective risk mitigation strategies.

Danish delegation targets Saudi trade opportunities

RIYADH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman held wide-ranging talks with Danish Crown Prince Frederik Andre Henrik here on Sunday.
The two leaders reviewed bilateral relations while discussing various aspects of cooperation between the two countries and agreed on ways to further enhance relations.
King Salman hosted a banquet luncheon for Crown Prince Frederik and his accompanying delegation at his palace.
Crown Prince Frederik and his wife Princess Mary, accompanied by a huge delegation of senior ministers including foreign minister Kristian Jensen and high-ranking government officials and senior business executives, are on a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia. 

They were received at the King Khalid International Airport by Riyadh Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar.
A Danish embassy official said that the crown prince is scheduled to take part in a number of business activities with focus on strengthening trade for Danish business concerns in several areas such as sustainability, health, food products, education and design.
Crown Prince Frederik, along with Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Zamil, chairman of the Council of Saudi Chambers, is scheduled to jointly open the Saudi-Danish business forum on Monday.
Senior executives from about 44 Danish companies and several interest groups including Confederation of Danish Industry (CDI) and the Danish Agriculture and Food Council (DAFC) to promote Denmark’s export interests will attend the forum.
The Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), in collaboration with the CDI and DAFC, will host the Saudi-Danish Business Forum and Exhibition at a hotel in Riyadh. Danish companies will display their products.
The Danish Crown Prince and his accompanying delegation also visited the historic Al-Dirriyah area. Notably, the Turaif district in the historic area was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 2010.
Al-Dirriyah Gov. Prince Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Abdulrahman welcomed the Danish royals in the historic area. They toured the neighborhood and were briefed on various development projects.
Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir, meanwhile, received his Danish counterpart at the foreign ministry office and discussed bilateral relations and the current situation in the Gulf and Middle East.
The Danish Crown Prince is scheduled to take part in a number of business activities with focus on strengthening trade for Danish business concerns in several areas such as sustainability, health, food products, education and design, a Danish embassy official said.
Trade relations between the two countries have witnessed remarkable growth in the recent past with further development in trade and investment with the trade exchanges reaching SR2,840 million by the end of 2015. The Danish royals are scheduled to leave for Qatar after their 3-day visit to the Kingdom.

Top experts discuss patients’ rights at Riyadh conference

RIYADH: More than 50 top national, regional and international experts in health care, law, psychology, sociology and management are discussing issues related to patients’ rights at a conference here.
The three-day event, 1st Gulf Patient Rights Conference, was inaugurated by Deputy Health Minister Hamad Al-Dowailia here on Sunday night. 
The topics include patient rights from the Islamic perspective, international and regional experiences and the role of civil society organizations.
The discussions also include diagnosing current state of patient rights practices in GCC countries, role of health facilities and health team members, regulatory authorities and educational, professional and legal institutions in promoting patient rights.
Representatives from many regional and international organizations are attending the conference. Local organizations include Saudi Human Rights Commission, Saudi Health Council, Council of Cooperative Health Insurance, Saudi Commission for Health Specialties and King Saud University.
The regional and international organizations that are participating in the meeting are Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office affiliated with the World Health Organization, Islamic Organization for Medical Sciences and Imperial College London.
As part of the event, Princess Noorah bint Mohammed, the wife of Riyadh governor, launched women’s activities in the conference by inaugurating a forum on promoting awareness on patient rights. 
The Kingdom is one of the first Arab countries to adopt the concept of patient and family rights, whether as a normal measure in response to the teachings of Islam or in compliance with international pacts, including the UN charter on human rights that include patient rights. 
The country organized its first conference in the field in 2011 under the auspices of former Health Minister Abdullah Al-Rabeeah in which the ministry adopted the patients’ rights as an official function and accordingly changed the name of the patient relations department to patient rights and relations department.