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Iran’s Foreign Ministry says UN Security Council Resolution 2231 does not cover the Islamic Republic’s military capabilities including its ballistic missiles. Iran will continue to enhance its defense capabilities to safeguard its sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity against any potential acts of aggression as well as the threat of terrorism in the region, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued on Monday after the Security Council adopted the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Therefore, the statement added, Iran’s military capabilities, including development of its ballistic missiles, are solely meant for defense as they have not been designed to carry nuclear warheads, and those capabilities are outside the scope of the UN resolution and its annexes. The Islamic Republic will reconsider its obligations under the JCPOA in case sanctions against Iran remain in place or new ones are imposed, the statement said.

The removal of nuclear-related sanctions or limitations imposed by the European Union and the United States facilitates business activities with Iran without any possible punitive measure, it stated, adding, the JCPOA clarifies that the EU and the US must refrain from the re-imposition of sanctions as such a move would be tantamount to the violation of the JCPOA, and therefore either partially or fully exempts Iran from any commitment.

According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry statement, Tehran will pursue its peaceful nuclear program, including uranium enrichment, its development as well as related research, as stated in the JCPOA and will have close cooperation with its partners to ensure that the accord will honor all its aims and objectives. 

The joint commission envisioned under the JCPOA must be able to resolve potential disputes impartially, effectively, efficiently and quickly, the statement said. In case anti-Iran sanctions remain in place or new bans similar to the previous ones are introduced, the Islamic Republic reserves the right to reconsider its commitments regardless of the nature of the bans, it said.

The statement further stressed the need for the complete annihilation of nuclear weapons as a necessity for the world’s security and a duty anchored in the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), adding that Iran is determined to actively participate in any internationally legal or diplomatic initiative meant to save the humankind from the dangers of nuclear arms and their proliferation.

Tehran declares that signatories to the NPT must not be stripped of their inalienable rights to develop and use nuclear energy for civilian purposes, the statement said, adding, Iran considers science and technology, including peaceful nuclear technology, as the common heritage of the mankind.

The Islamic Republic, given its solid ideological, strategic and international principles, also rejects weapons of mass destruction, nuclear arms in particular, as obsolete, inhumane and detrimental to the world’s peace and security, the Iranian Foreign Ministry statement read. Iran announces that under the fatwa (decree) issued by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, its long-established policy is to oppose acquisition, production, stockpiling and use of nuclear weapons, the statement pointed out.

The conclusion of nuclear talks between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States – plus Germany in the Austrian capital, Vienna, on July 14, signifies the resolution of an unnecessary crisis by means of negotiations and mutual respect, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said.

The JCPOA is based on reciprocal commitments of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the P5+1 group of world powers, and includes the termination of all the provisions of Resolutions 1696, 1737 (passed in 2006), 1747 (passed in 2007), 1803 and 1838 (passed in 2008), 1929 (passed in 2010) and 2224 (passed in 2015), and the removal of all nuclear-related sanctions that the US, EU and its members have imposed on Iran, the statement said. Iran is determined to actively help the promotion of regional peace and stability in the face of growing threats of terrorism and extremism, the foreign ministry said, adding that Iran will continue its role in the fight against the menaces, and is ready to help its neighbors as well as the international community in this regard.

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Ngwa Bertrand

20.Jul.2015

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Chad’s former dictator Hissene Habre will stand trial in Senegal over charges of torture, war crimes and crimes against humanity during his rule in the 1980s. Habre, who has been in custody in Senegal since June 2013, will be tried in the Senegalese capital city of Dakar on Monday by the Extraordinary African Chambers, a special criminal court established by the African Union (AU) under an agreement with Senegal.

A judge from Burkina Faso will lead the tribunal, which is expected to hear accounts from 100 witnesses over a time span of three months. Chief Prosecutor Mbacke Fall said his team has heard from nearly 2,500 victims and 60 witnesses since the opening of Habre’s case in July 2013.

Habre’s government was responsible for some 40,000 deaths between 1982 and 1990, according to a report by a truth commission formed by Chad’s current President Idriss Deby. If convicted, the ex-Chadian ruler will face anything from 30 years in prison to life imprisonment with hard labor. 

Assane Dioma Ndiaye, a lawyer for the civil parties to the case, described the hearing as “historic,” adding, “There could have been no impunity in this case.” Chadian lawyer Jacqueline Moudeina had earlier said that the trial would be “a turning point” for justice in Africa, noting that documents demonstrating a direct link between Habre and the country’s secret police were “solid.”

However, Ibrahima Diawara, a lawyer representing Habre said that his client has rejected the legitimacy of the court and thus decided not to appear in the hearing. Habre, who had the backing of France and the United States, was ousted by Deby in 1990. After his ouster, Habre fled to Senegal, where he sought refuge. He was placed under house arrest in 2005 until his detention in June 2013.

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Ngwa Bertrand

19.Jul.2015

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A historic home video from the UK royal family has been leaked, showing members including the queen doing the Nazi salute. It is a grainy black and white family home video from the 1930s. In it, a man and a woman, with two young children are seen playing and then doing the Nazi salute. The woman is the future queen mother, the girl is the future queen Elizabeth, and the man is her uncle who would shortly afterwards become King Edward VIII.

The video was published by The Sun newspaper that reports “while there is clearly no suggestion that the queen or queen mother were ever Nazi sympathizers, Edward’s links with Hitler and fascism are very well documented.” Then Prince Edward and later King Edward VIII, the monarch was a Nazi sympathizer and remained pro-Nazi even after war broke out.  He once gave the Nazi salute to Hitler and claimed he was “not a bad chap.” 

Experts have called the footage “remarkable”, “shocking” and “historic”. But the British royal family has expressed disappointment that the newspaper has decided to publish the leaked video clip. Royal sources say there will be an urgent investigation how this 20 second clip of a longer video has made its way into the public domain.

Speaking to the state-run BBC, a royal source said, "Most people will see these pictures in their proper context and time. This is a family playing and momentarily referencing a gesture many would have seen from contemporary news reels.”

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Ngwa Bertrand

18.Jul.2015

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The Ugandan air force says it is going to deploy fighter jets in Somalia to help the war-torn country battle al-Shabab militants. A spokesperson for Uganda's air force said Friday that the deployment comes as part of the African Union (AU) mission's operations in Somalia to retake more areas from the militants.

"The AU has been negotiating with us on the deployment of our military aircrafts and assets in Somalia. We have agreed on the modalities and we shall deploy them soon," Maj. Kiconco Tabaro told Chinese news agency Xinhua, adding that the mission would also ease troops mobility and help the evacuation of medical staff and casualties. 

"As you know our troops are too far from each other in Somalia. Our line of communication and movement has been difficult. These assets are necessary and will ease our personnel mobility, logistics, medical and causality evacuation," Tabaro said.

Another military spokesman said a heightened wave of attacks by al-Shabab militants against the military forces and civilian population in Somalia has made Uganda's help urgently needed.

"We have reached a point of no return. We have been lacking the needed air support in the fight against the al-Shabab militants in Somalia," Lt. Col. Paddy Ankunda said, adding, "We are committed to liberating our Somali people."

In a recent meeting in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, AU officials announced that they were negotiating with Uganda to have its helicopters deployed in Somalia. Uganda had prior plans to deploy military assets in Somalia, although they faced a setback in 2012 when a convoy of helicopters that had been sent to Somalia crashed in Kenya, killing seven crew members.

Kampala also received two Cessna 208B aircraft from the United States in March, allegedly as an appreciation for its counterterrorism and security efforts in Somalia. Uganda is also the biggest contributor of ground forces to the AU mission in Somalia, and troops of the Uganda People's Defense Force (UPDF) have been stationed there since 2007.

Somalia has been the scene of deadly clashes between government forces and al-Shabab since 2006. The militants have been pushed out of the capital, Mogadishu, and other major cities by  forces of the government and the African Union, which is largely made up of troops from Ethiopia, Uganda, Burundi, Djibouti, Sierra Leone, and Kenya.

Al-Shabab have, however, continued to carry out attacks in Mogadishu.

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Ngwa Bertrand

17.Jul.2015

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South Africa has welcomed Tuesday’s conclusion of nuclear talks with Iran, saying it wanted to resume trade with the Middle Eastern country as soon as possible. South Africa relied on Iran as the biggest supplier of oil before sanctions on Tehran halted the trade in 2012.  

Iran and the P5+1 group of world countries finalized their nuclear talks on Tuesday, paving the way for the removal of sanctions. “If sanctions are lifted on oil imports, that’s a win-win situation and we would like to benefit from that,” South Africa’s International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane said in Pretoria.

She said her country’s refiners suffered great losses from the sanctions on Iran which exported about 70,000 barrels per day of oil to Africa’s largest economy. South Africa’s energy company, Sasol, imported about 12,000 bpd or 20% of its oil needs for refining from Iran. It also owned 50% of the National Petrochemical Company of Iran’s Arya polymer plant from which it divested under pressure. The biggest South African buyer of the Iranian crude oil, however, was Engen which is majority-owned by the Malaysian national oil company Petronas.  

South Africa relied on Iran for about 29% of its oil imports, according to the US Energy Information Administration. The country consumes about 550,000 barrels of oil per day, of which 370,000 bpd is imported. After the sanctions on the Islamic Republic, South Africa turned to Saudi Arabia to replace the Iranian oil, with Nigeria and Angola being other significant suppliers.

Iran and South Africa have forged close political and economic ties since the fall of the apartheid regime. Africa's largest telecoms operator MTN has a 49% stake in Irancell, which provides services to 33 million clients.

Energy Minister of South Africa Tina Joemat-Pettersson visited Tehran in April and discussed purchases of crude oil, oil products, gas, and petrochemicals from Iran as well as participation in the country’s energy projects.

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Ngwa Bertrand

16.Jul.2015

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French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius says he will pay a visit to Iran upon an invitation by his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif, following the conclusion of nuclear talks between Tehran and the P5+1. Referring to the invitation he said he had received from Zarif, Fabius told French radio on Wednesday that, “I told him (Zarif) I would go to Iran, so I will go to Iran.”

He did not, however, specify when the trip would take place. He made the remarks a day after Iran and the P5+1 group of world powers – the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia plus Germany – concluded the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which will put limits on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the removal of sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

The Iranian sources have yet to comment on this report.  Fabius also pointed to the significance of business cooperation between Tehran and Paris. “Trade is very important. It fosters growth. It’s important for the Iranians, it’s important for us,” he said. French companies, including giant automakers PSA Peugeot Citroen and Renault, and energy giant Total, which had a strong presence in Iran before the enforcement of anti-Iran sanctions, have recently shown willingness to resume their activities in the Islamic Republic after the removal of the sanctions.

Representatives from French employers’ federation MEDEF are also slated to visit Iran in September in a bid to restore relations. Some 107 representatives from the MEDEF traveled to Iran early last year to try to revive business ties with the country. Bilateral trade between Iran and France plunged from four billion euros (4.4 billion dollars) in 2004 to just 500 million euros in 2013, according to French statistics.

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Ngwa Bertrand

15.Jul.2015

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