OPCW Director-General Meets with Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister

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OPCW Director-General Meets with Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister

Fernando Arias Meets with Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs 

The OPCW Director-General held a bilateral meeting in The Hague today with Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran for Legal and International Affairs, H.E. Mr Moshen Baharvand. 

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — 20 April 2021 — The Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), H.E. Mr Fernando Arias, met today with the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran for Legal and International Affairs, H.E. Mr Mohsen Baharvand. The bilateral meeting was held in the margins of the Twenty-Fifth Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention, taking place in The Hague from 20 to 22 April. 

The Director-General briefed the Deputy Foreign Minister on the OPCW’s progress in implementing the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Organisation’s activities in addressing challenges to achieving a world free of chemical weapons, and shared perspectives with the Minister on ways of strengthening cooperation between Iran and OPCW. 

Deputy Foreign Minister Baharvand stated: “Universal membership of the OPCW, full and effective implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, and the destruction of all types of chemical weapons are essential to achieving the goal of a world free of chemical weapons. We shall make every effort to ensure that the horrible event which made the Islamic Republic of Iran the main victim of chemical weapons will not be repeated. It is unfortunate that the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has had a further negative impact on the victims of chemical weapons.” 

Director-General Arias expressed: “Iran is an important partner in maintaining the international prohibition on chemical weapons. We must not allow the suffering inflicted by chemical weapons, in Iran or in other parts of the globe, to be forgotten or to occur again. Concerted action by all States Parties to the Convention is crucial to fully eradicate the use, the threat of use, and the re-emergence of these heinous weapons.” 

Prosecutor Brammertz on mission to Kigali

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Prosecutor Brammertz on mission to Kigali

 Arusha, 23 April 2021 – Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (Mechanism) will visit Kigali, Rwanda from 26 to 30 April as part of his preparations for his regular biannual report to the United Nations Security Council.

Prosecutor Brammertz will meet with the Minister of Justice, Johnston Busingye, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vincent Biruta, the Prosecutor General, Aimable Havugiyaremye, and other Rwandan government officials. The topics for discussion will include the strong cooperation between the Mechanism Office of the Prosecutor and the Rwandan government in relation to the prosecution of Félicien Kabuga, bringing to justice the remaining six fugitives indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and assistance to the National Public Prosecution Authority’s efforts to hold accountable alleged genocidaires around the world. 

The Prosecutor will also have the honour of meeting with representatives of the victims and survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, and will meet as well with members of the diplomatic community.

It is expected that Prosecutor Brammertz will present his next report to the Security Council in June 2021.

Hamburg and Kobe inked scientific MoU

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Hamburg and Kobe inked scientific MoU

Friday, 23 April 2021, Hamburg (Germany)-Kobe (Japan): First Mayor of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Dr. Peter Tschentscher and the Mayor of Kobe (Japan), Hisamoto Kizō, signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the two city entities to cooperate more closely in the future in the fields of hydrogen and life sciences through an video conference. In the conference partook Japan’s Consul General in Hamburg Kato Kikuko, whose consulate general also has jurisdiction over the federal states of Bremen, Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein. 

First Mayor Dr. Tschentscher paid an official visit to Kobe two years ago. 
During his allocuation Dr. Tschentscher noted that both cities “are united by the conviction that hydrogen is one of the most important energy carriers of the future. It plays a central role in the energy transition in all sectors” as per his speech linked below. 

Japan strives to becoming a “hydrogen society” by 2040, and is pursuing this goal very consistently. Kobe has already opened a modern hydrogen power plant in 2018, which I was able to visit during my visit.
In Hamburg, we are planning to build one of the largest electrolyser plants in Europe, for the production of green hydrogen from wind energy. We are a model region for the German energy transition with a large number of pilot projects.

Both cities agreed to promote cooperation between private companies, universities and research institutions in this field. The mutual exchange can accelerate the introduction of hydrogen technologies as well as the development of an international hydrogen economy.
The second focus of our agreement is on life sciences. Hamburg and Kobe are leaders in this field in their countries and have already been cooperating since 2015.

As a result of First Mayor Tschentscher’s visit to Kobe, both cities are to establish a new research partnership between the Fraunhofer IME Screening Port Hamburg and the Foundation for Biomedical Research and Innovation (FBRI) in Kobe.

____________________

Picture by Hamburger Senatpressestelle

For further information:

 
Hamburg Senate: https://www.hamburg.de/buergermeisterreden-2020/15030690/2021-04-23-mou-kobe/

City of Kobe: https://www.city.kobe.lg.jp/foreignlanguage/index.html
Consulate General of Japan in Hamburg -covering Hamburg, Bremen, Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein (Consul General Kato Kikuko): https://www.hamburg.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_ja/11_000001_00286.html

Nipponese Embassy in Germany (HE Ambassador Yanagi Hidenao): https://www.de.emb-japan.go.jp/itprtop_de/index.html

Andres Parmas elected member of the Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims

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Andres Parmas elected member of the Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims

In the picture Andres Parmas, newly elected Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims.

On the 8 April 2021, the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court elected Mr Andres Parmas from Estonia to the Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims (TFV). He was nominated by consensus by the Eastern European group of States Parties. Mr Parmas will continue the term of office of Mr Gocha Lordkipanidze, who was sworn in as a Judge at the International Criminal Court on 10 March 2020.

Following his election to the TFV Board, Mr Parmas stated “Reparations and assistance to victims must go alongside the prosecution of those responsible for the commission of serious crimes – only this gives true meaning to international criminal law. Therefore, we must strive still for an even stronger and more capable organisation to carry out this task. It is the responsibility of the whole international community to offer meaningful support and relief to people, who have been victimised through grave and systemic crimes. The Trust Fund for Victims is the body best equipped to serve this purpose and I humbly offer my service to help the Trust Fund in its endeavour”.

Mama Koité Doumbia, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims at the International Criminal Court. Photography by ICC

TFV Board Chair, Ms Mama Koité Doumbia welcomed the election of the Assembly and said, “We are honoured to have Mr Parmas join the TFV Board of Directors. His experience as Prosecutor General of Estonia and his extensive background and work in the field of criminal justice will be a tremendous asset to the work of the Trust Fund for Victims. I and all the Board look forward to working with Mr Parmas to advance the rights of victims of the worst crimes under the jurisdiction of the ICC and to give them a voice and the justice they so greatly deserve”.

TFV Executive Director Pieter de Baan welcomed the election of Mr Parmas, saying “I am already greatly encouraged by the active interest Mr Parmas is demonstrating in the activities of the Fund, and in particular of the Secretariat. We look forward to have the benefit from his legal expertise and organisational insight”.

H.E. Mrs Kaili Terras, Ambassador of Estonia.

The Ambassador of the Republic of Estonia to the Netherlands, H.E. Mrs. Kaili Terras said, “I am very proud that Mr. Parmas was elected as the new member of the Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims representing the Eastern European Group. His legal and leadership experiences and his dedication to work hard and make the voices of the victims of atrocity crimes and genocide heard and to serve them justice will add an important value to the TFV”.

Mr Parmas is currently Prosecutor General of Estonia. He has served as a Judge in the Kosovo Special Chambers and as a Judge in the Criminal Chambers of the Tallinn Circuit Court. He is a Lecturer of criminal law at the University of Taartu and has published numerous academic papers. Mr Parmas is from Estonia and represents the Eastern European group of States Parties in the TFV Board.

Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims (2018 – 2021):

  • Mama Koité Doumbia (Mali, African States) – Chair;
  • Baroness Arminka Helić (United Kingdom, Western European and Other States);
  • Sheikh Mohammed Belal (Bangladesh, Asian States);
  • Minou Tavárez Mirabal (Dominican Republic, Latin American and Caribbean States);
  • Andres Parmas (Estonia, Eastern European States).

Rights and privileges of the Syrian Arab Republic Suspended

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Rights and privileges of the Syrian Arab Republic Suspended

The Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention has adopted a Decision to suspend certain rights and privileges of the Syrian Arab Republic.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — 22 April 2021 — The Twenty-Fifth Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) yesterday adopted a Decision to suspend certain rights and privileges of the Syrian Arab Republic under the Convention pursuant to paragraph 2 of Article XII of the Convention.  

The Decision, co-sponsored by 46 Member States (Albania, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and United States of America), was adopted with 102 States Parties present and voting; 87 States Parties voted yes, and 15 States Parties voted no.  

In adopting the decision, the Conference condemned “in the strongest possible terms the use of chemical weapons by anyone, under any circumstances, emphasising that any use of chemical weapons […] is unacceptable and contravenes international norms and standards”.  

The Decision also condemns the use of chemical weapons as reported by the OPCW’s Investigation and Identification Team (IIT), which concluded that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the Syrian Arab Republic has used chemical weapons. It also expresses deep concern that the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian Arab Republic establishes that the Syrian Arab Republic failed to declare and destroy all of its chemical weapons and chemical weapons production facilities. 

The Decision also expresses grave concern at the failure of the Syrian Arab Republic to respond to a request by the Executive Council of the OPCW on 9 July 2020 to take measures to redress the concerns around Syria’s declarations under the Chemical Weapons Convention within the specified time. 

The Decision suspended the following rights and privileges of the Syrian Arab Republic under the Convention: a) to vote in the Conference and the Council; b) to stand for election to the Council; and c) to hold any office of the Conference, the Council, or any subsidiary organs. 

The Decision requires that the Director-General regularly report to the Council and States Parties on whether the Syrian Arab Republic has completed all of the measures contained in paragraph 5 of Council decision EC-94/DEC.2. The Decision further provides that the suspended rights and privileges of the Syrian Arab Republic are reinstated by the Conference once the Director-General has reported to the Council that the Syrian Arab Republic has completed all these measures.  

OPCW Director-General, H.E. Mr Fernando Arias stated: “The Conference of the States Parties reaffirmed that the use of chemical weapons is the most serious breach of the Convention there can be, as people’s lives are taken or destroyed. By deciding to address the possession and use of chemical weapons by a State Party, the Conference has reiterated the international community’s ethical commitment to uphold the norm against these weapons.”

The Ambassador of Tunisia, H.E. Mr. Slim Ghariani

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The Ambassador of Tunisia, H.E. Mr. Slim Ghariani

H.E. Mr. Slim Ghariani is the Ambassador of the Republic of Tunisia to the Kingdom of the Netherlands who presented its credential before the King of the Netherlands, on April 21, 2021. Ambassador Ghariani is also the Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in The Hague. Before his appointment, Ambassador Ghariani was the Ambassador of Tunisia to the Kingdom of Bahrain.  

Passionate about diplomacy, his portfolio of work includes being a Director of the Desk for European countries Non- Member of the EU  at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tunisia and being a Deputy representative of Tunisia to the Office of the United Nations in Geneva as Minister Counsellor.

Prior to serving in Geneva Mr. Ghariani fulfilled different roles in Tunisia for the Tunisian Government. He served as a Deputy Director at the General Directorate for International Organizations and Conferences at the MFA in Tunisia on Disarmament Affairs and as a Counsellor for Foreign Affairs at the Embassy of Tunisia in Riyadh in charge of Economic Affairs.

Ghariani served as Counsellor for Foreign Affairs, Head of Division at the Legal Directorate at the MFA in Tunisia.

Prior to serving in Tunesia Mr Ghariani worked as a Counsellor at the Embassy of Tunisia in the Hague in charge of Multilateral Affairs and Disarmament. 

Ambassador Ghariani earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Maths Sciences and a university degree in Food Technology at the National Institute for Nutrition in Tunisia, and a Master’s Degree in Labour Management at the National Institute for Labour. Ambassador Ghariani is fluent in Arabic, French, English and Italian 

Mr. Ghariani is married and has two children. 

Ambassador Denis Robert presented credentials in Denmark

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Ambassador Denis Robert presented credentials in Denmark

Picture by Embassy of Canada to Belgium and Luxembourg – Ambassador Denis Robert.

Tuesday, 20 April 2021, Copenhagen, Kingdom of Denmark: The Dominion of Canada’s top envoy to Denmark, Denis Robert, was accredited today after presenting credentials to Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II at Amalienborg Palace’s Christian VII wing. 

Ambassador Denis Robert was most recently Director of Foreign Policy Research at the headquarters of Global Affairs Canada/Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development in Ottawa.

Before that, he served in the capacity as Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium, and non-resident to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg from 2012 to 2016. 

Ambassador Robert is a career diplomat who joined the then Department of External Affairs in 1989. He holds a Master degree in Political Science from the University of Montréal as well as a bachelor degree in the same domain from Laval University. He speaks fluent French, English and Spanish. 

For further information: 

Embassy of Canada in Denmark: https://www.international.gc.ca/country-pays/denmark-danemark/index.aspx?lang=eng

Danish Royal Household: https://www.kongehuset.dk/kalender/hm-dronningen-modtager-nye-ambassadoerer-fra-bangladesh-canada-nordmakedonien-portugal-og-indonesien
Danish Foreign Ministry on Canada: https://um.dk/da/rejse-og-ophold/rejse-til-udlandet/rejsevejledninger/canada/
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Gucci’s high watch collection

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Gucci’s high watch collection

In the picture a GRIP watch.

Gucci launched a high watchmaking collection; a milestone heralded by the introduction of the ultra-slim GUCCI 25H. 

In a year marking its centenary, Gucci is proud to announce its entry into high watch-making with an exceptional suite of contemporary watch designs by Creative Director Alessandro Michele. Each illuminates the creativity, craftsmanship and technical skill that has underpinned its creations since the luxury fashion house was established by Guccio Gucci in 1921.  

The new high watchmaking collection is comprised by four lines– GUCCI  25H, G-Timeless, Grip and high jewellery watches. Each gathers inspiration from Gucci’s craft legacy and heritage elements, including flora and fauna, talismans, and the emblematic Interlocking G logo.  

Gucci made watchmaking history in 1972. Not only was it the first luxury fashion house to elevate the watch to become a contemporary style statement, but it also demanded the highest quality –every Gucci watch is Swiss made. Over the past 50 years, the House has continued to design extraordinary time pieces that are made in production facilities across the famed Swiss watch-making region. 

In La-Chaux-de-Fonds, quality control, assembly and diamond setting take place, while dials are crafted in Gucci’s Fabbrica Quadranti facility in the Canton of Ticino, a dial maker company employing the latest technological methods in tandem with highly skilled hand work. Special decorative techniques are also carried out at Fabbrica Quadranti. Neuchâtel–the headquarters and home of Gucci watches, is where the House’s watch design know-how comes together. 

Today, Gucci is one of the largest luxury fashion watch producers in the world and continues to design era-defining Swiss-made time pieces. Now Gucci has taken a natural, next step into the arena of high watchmaking, a rarefied world that encompasses the best in Swiss horological know-how, advanced manufacturing techniques and exceptional skill in exquisite, decorative arts.

The new collections are a dazzling fusion of Gucci’s innate Italian style and peerless, Swiss expertise, a conjunction that is perfectly expressed in the new GG727.25 watch calibre, Gucci’s first movement developed and produced by the state-of-the art Kering movement manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Self-winding and ultra-slim at just 3.70mm in height, the GG727.25 calibre makes its debut in the new GUCCI 25H, a triumphant milestone in the House’s watch history 

In the picture a G-TIMELESS DANCING BEES watch

The GUCCI 25H bears a playfully symbolic name, containing a number that Alessandro Michele considers a talisman and one he often features in his collections for Gucci. The GG727.25 calibre references other important numerical symbols: ‘7’ to encapsulate a sense of completeness; ‘2’ representing balance and cooperation; ‘5’ symbolizing curiosity and freedom. 

With its sleek, sporty lines, contrasting finishes and technological excellence, the GUCCI 25H is the touchstone of Gucci’s debut in high-watch making collections, its ultra-slim case allowing a light touch for the watch to become like a second skin on the wrist, suited to both men and women. The GUCCI 25H is presented in steel and pavé-set models and two tourbillon iterations in platinum and yellow gold. A mechanical watch design for our times, the GUCCI 25H seamlessly bridges authentic contemporary style and unparalleled savoir-faire of watch expertise. Two further high-watchmaking creations and one watch jewellery collection are also revealed, each brimming with the artistic character and free spirit of Gucci.  

G-Timeless  

In the picture a GUCCI 25H

The G-Timeless high-watchmaking creations comprise five exceptional designs: the G-Timeless Dancing Bees, a compelling new timepiece with a high jewellery touch with bees that shimmer and move on the dial. The watch is also offered in Tourbillon versions–a remarkable movement complication with an unmistakably stylish Gucci flourish. Also presented are the G-Timeless Automatic with bee motif, jewelled hard-stone dials and precious skin straps; the mystical G-Timeless with moon phases and the G-Timeless Pavé, a white-diamond encrusted automatic watch with alligator strap.  

Grip Five 

Grip high watch-making variations are crafted in precious materials balancing decorative craft traditions and cutting-edge techniques with technological know-how. Each Grip is fitted with a Jump Hour movement module triggered to jump for-ward every hour, to a minute’s disc that sweeps around through 60 minutes. The technology is creatively expressed on the new models incurved apertures on each dial, allowing a clean numerical display. Hardstone dials adorn three new 18ktgold Grip models–two in yellow gold, the other in white gold. Each dial is precision-cut by a highly skilled gemstone-cutter who must shape the delicate material while maintaining its strength.

The Grip design is fitted with an alligator strap in a shade that corresponds to the colour of its stone dial. The fourth design in the Grip gold series is created entirely in 18kt yellow gold with a brushed gold dial subtly engraved with the Gucci logo and straight, gleaming bracelet links. Each 18k gold Grip watch is precision-set with a continuous row of 44 baguette-cut diamonds. Grip Sapphire, a mesmerising Jump Hour watch in a case entirely crafted in sapphire crystal is the fifth edition in the Grip line. Presented in four colour variations, clear, blue, green and pink with a transparent rubber tone-on-tone strap embossed with the Interlocking G motif and with a steel ardillon buckle.  

With its High Jewellery Watch Collection, Gucci perpetuates the avant-garde thinking that defines jewelled-watch design with a dazzling treasure trove of precious timepieces inspired by the House’s design motifs: Dionysus, Lion Head and Gucci Play. Each design is created around a quartz movement, better suited to the goldwork and precious stones that set high jewellery watches apart. An artistic coming together of art, craft, precision, and style–each new design presents its own story in gleaming precious metals and stones. 

For further information 
www.gucci.com

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Images courtesy of Gucci 

Opportunities and threats of Iran’s return to 2015 nuclear deal

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Opportunities and threats of Iran’s return to 2015 nuclear deal

There were some conflicting speculations regarding the position of US President Joseph Biden‘s administration on Iran’s nuclear program, as optimists believed the new President would return to the nuclear deal as soon as he entered the White House, while pessimists announced that the decision to return to that deal would be very difficult if not impossible under the conditions agreed with President Barack Obama in October 2015. Many things have changed during Donald Trump’s tenure as president, as have many attitudes towards the nuclear deal, which today requires that the details of the deal be reconsidered and amended to suit the new circumstances.

Within days of taking office on 20 January 2021, the new US President Biden managed to change the face of US foreign policy towards the Middle East, thanks to a number of facts: first, his experience in dealing with challenges in the region gained over a long period of membership in the Senate (1973-2009) and in Obama’s administration where he was vice president from 2009 to 2017; second, his use of executive presidential powers as a means of taking swift action and avoiding confrontation with Republicans in the Congress; third, a clear vision, which sees the US global role from two perspectives, including  the moral principles and interests, instead of only thinking of the interests; fourth, his selection of an experienced team based on the criteria of expertise, skills and knowledge of the region; and fifth, the President and his team rely on multi-track diplomacy to implement this vision, which simultaneously stimulates and exerts pressure based on the carrot and stick principle.

The nuclear deal should be dealt separately from other issues

The Iranian issue is an important axis of the new US administration’s foreign policy. Biden’s vision of policy towards Iran can be divided into three segments, the most important of which is Iran’s nuclear programme, to save the nuclear deal with Iran and try to fix what Trump’s policy destroyed in that regard. The second segment concerns an attempt to suppress Iran’s expansion in the Middle East, primarily in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, where pro-Iranian allies are in power. The third segment of American policy is putting Iran’s missile programme under international supervision.

This vision seeks to separate Iran’s nuclear programme from regional security issues in the first phase, which Saudi Arabia insists on. From Biden’s point of view, Iran’s nuclear programme (JSPOA)[2] is an international issue essentially related to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, and the group (5 + 1)[3] in charge of this issue, and they differ in term of regional security issues, despite some connections between them, especially regarding the establishment of collective regional security framework, with the participation of all parties whereby talks would be held at a later stage.

Analysts believe that if Biden manages to separate the nuclear issue from regional security challenges, it will provide chances for a quick solution to the problems of the nuclear deal and unresolved regional issues. The United States and Iran have expressed readiness to negotiate on the nuclear programme, but there are major differences in terms and how to achieve that.

Iran demands that all US sanctions be lifted first before it agrees to meet the restrictions on uranium enrichment from the 2015 deal, while the US sees this scenario the other way around, which means that Iran should first meet its obligations before the sanctions would be gradually abolished. There is another scenario announced by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, namely that the two sides enter negotiations at the same time. However, the US President categorically stated in the CBS TV programme “Face the Nation“[4] that he would not lift the sanctions just to “bring Iran back to the negotiating table”. In response to a subsequent question, he explained that Iran must first “stop enriching uranium” more than what is envisaged by the nuclear deal, which is 3.67%.

On 31 January 2021 Tehran announced that it had produced 17 kilograms of 20% enriched uranium, thus bringing it a step closer to enriching uranium to 90%, which could be used in nuclear weapon production. 

Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Raphael Mariano Grossi warned: “Obviously we don’t have many months. We have weeks to renew a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,” which indicates that Iran’s uranium enrichment will soon reach the point of no return.


The US concerns about Iran’s presidential elections

The US administration is anxiously awaiting changes resulting from Iran’s presidential elections in June 2021 and any possibility that the future president would come from the ranks of conservatives, who have controlled Iranian parliament since 2020 parliamentary elections. This possibility is quite realistic.  
The reformists do not have any notable candidate, unlike the conservatives who already have three political “hawks“: former President of Iran (2005-2013) Mahmuomd Ahmadinejad, former Tehran Mayor and current Parliament Speaker Mohammad Qalibaf, who was Hassan Rouhani’s strongest opponent at 2013 elections, and Head of Judiciary Ebrahim Raisi, who ran in 2017 presidential elections but lost to Hassan Rouhani.

Recent aggravation of relations resulted from the violation of the agreement on international control over Iran’s nuclear programme, which led to an increase in uranium enrichment based on decisions by the conservative-controlled Iranian parliament. 


A new US path towards Iran

The Persian Gulf region and Iran have been the source of tensions and wars for the past 40 years, but it seems that with President Biden we are entering a phase of anticipating a new American policy.  Biden and his team appear to be more in favour of a truce and reduction in tensions than former Trump’s administration.

The new path that the United States will follow towards Iran requires an open dialogue, especially after years of tensions that have lasted since the founding of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979. Some opinions suggesting that the ceasefire will strengthen Iranian expansion and extremism are incorrect. Iran today is not what it was in 1980. It is no longer a revolutionary Iran, but is now a pragmatic country, seeking to regulate its global role as a regional power and successor to the ancient Persian civilization.

Internal attempts to overthrow Iranian political system have failed. The US must find a model of cooperation with the present Iranian regime. Dialogue can open many doors, as did the seven-day visit by US President Richard Nixon on 21 February 1972, which opened the door to changes in China despite its communist ideology. China has supported all anti-American and communist movements around the world, including the Vietnam War against the US. American openness to China has changed many Chinese trends, and even led to the emergence of the school of capitalist economic reform in late 1970s, without changing the essence of the communist system.

The new US policy is less burdened with the protection of Gulf oil sources and it is oriented towards China. Therefore, the United States will not accept that certain Gulf states, especially Saudi Arabia, have the right to set ultimatums and restrictions on the US return to the nuclear deal and dialogue with Iran, but will ask its Arab allies to make compromises with Iran on common Gulf security concerns.

Some countries in the region had time to resolve their problems with Iran, but were more focused on the blockade option and the use of force, encouraging Trump administration to attack Iran. Nevertheless, this did not happen during the presidency of Donald Trump, who exploited tensions to increase arms sales deals, and it will not happen during Biden’s administration either.  It should be noted that the three countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Kuwait, Qatar and Oman, lead a rational policy towards Iran.

Today, Iran’s economy is no longer on the verge of collapse. It is now in a deep abyss, which had a dramatic effect on the country’s internal political situation that has been the scene of large demonstrations in many Iranian cities over the past two years. 

The official unemployment rate in Iran is 9.4%, which is 2.4 million economically active people. However, it is estimated that the real unemployment rate is at least twice as high, especially among the young. Annual GDP reduced in 2019/2020 by about 7%.  An additional 5% drop in Iranian economy is expected in 2021 if sanctions are not lifted. Annual inflation also jumped to more than 46% in November 2020.

Return to the nuclear deal – Iran’s exit from the crisis

Iranian leadership is well aware that the only way out of the crisis is to return to the nuclear deal which will be followed by economic progress.

The messages coming from the United States and Iran can be interpreted as mutual willingness to start negotiations to return to the nuclear deal. An optimistic atmosphere was established by the appointment of Wendy R. Sherman as US Deputy Secretary of State and Robert Malley as US Special Envoy for Iran, two key figures who actively participated in negotiations with Iran during former President Obama’s term in 2009-2017.

Iranian leadership has to show a high level of patience regarding the lifting of sanctions, since this will realistically not happen overnight. 

There are three types of sanctions imposed on Iran, and not all are related to the nuclear deal. For example, sanctions imposed on the Central Bank and the Revolutionary Guard are related to money laundering and aiding terrorism, and some sanctions are imposed due to human rights violations. Even if the sanctions imposed by former US President Trump are lifted, there will be still other sanctions that the two sides must discuss separately from the nuclear issue in order to be phased out.

Presidential elections will be held in June 2021. Will Iran’s supreme Islamic leader Ali Khamnei allow the negotiation process to be successfully completed during the term of current reformist President Hassan Rouhani, thereby increasing the power of reformists, or will he wait until a new president is elected, most likely coming from the conservatives?

Published by IFIMES – The International Institute for Middle-East and Balkan Studies (IFIMES)[1] in Ljubljana, Slovenia, regularly analyses events in the Middle East and the Balkans. It has currently analysed events in Iran with an emphasis on restoring the 2015 nuclear deal. Ljubljana/Washington/Brussels, 19 April 2021            

Footnotes:
[1] IFIMES – International Institute for Middle East and Balkan Studies, based in Ljubljana, Slovenia, has Special Consultative status at ECOSOC/UN, New York, since 2018.
[2]  Source: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/cmsdata/122460/full-text-of-the-iran-nuclear-deal.pdf
[3] P5+1 (the UN Security Council’s five permanent members China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States; plus Germany). All together with the EU.
[4] Source: interview with Joseph Biden, CBS, Face the Nation, 7 February 2021. www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YFFYIHAcoA

Mmusi Kgafela heads Botswana’s Investment Ministry

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Mmusi Kgafela heads Botswana’s Investment Ministry

Mmusi Kgafela, Minister of Investment. Picture by Botswana Investment & Trade Centre

Friday, 16 April 2021, Gabarone, Republic of Botswana:  The Honourable Mmusi Kgafela was appointed by HE President Mokgweetsi Masisi in the capacity as Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry.  

Mmusi Kgafela replaced Peggy Serame, who now heads the Finance Ministry.   

Minister Kgafela previously served as Minister of Infrastructure and Housing Development. He is a lawyer by profession with extensive experience as sollicitor in the private sector. In Parliament he represents Mochudi West as MP for the Democratic Party of Botswana. 

Minister Mmusi Kgafela belongs to one of the chieftain clans from Bakgatla. He himself is a younger brother to the Kgosi (Chief) Kgafela II. 

For further information  
Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry: https://www.gov.bw/ministries/ministry-investment-trade-and-industry

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