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Every weekend, Asia Pacific Daily will provide you with a run-down of the latest hot news.This week, the following hot news you should know:
Top 1 | Iraq asks U.S. for team to prepare troop pullout
Iraq's caretaker premier Adel Abdel Mahdi has asked the United States to send a delegation to Baghdad to begin preparing for a troop pullout, his office said on Friday.
In a phone call late Thursday with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Abdel Mahdi "requested that delegates be sent to Iraq to set the mechanisms to implement parliament's decision for the secure withdrawal of (foreign) forces from Iraq." Some 5,200 U.S. soldiers are stationed at bases across Iraq to support local troops preventing a resurgence of ISIL. They make up the bulk of a broader U.S.-led coalition, invited by the Iraqi government in 2014 to help combat the jihadists. Their deployment was based on an executive-to-executive agreement never ratified by Iraq's parliament.
But on Sunday, Iraq's parliament voted in favor of rescinding that invitation and ousting all foreign troops. The following day, U.S. commanders sent a letter to their counterparts in Baghdad saying they were preparing for "movement out of Iraq." The letter said the coalition would "be repositioning forces over the course of the coming days and weeks to prepare for onward movement."
The Pentagon said the letter was a draft sent by mistake but Abdel Mahdi disputed that account, saying his office had received signed and translated copies. He has demanded clarification from Washington of its intentions, while the US-led coalition said Thursday that it too was seeking clarity on the legal ramifications of parliament's vote.
Top 2 | Pelosi says to send Trump impeachment articles to Senate next week
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Friday that articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump will be sent to the Senate next week.Pelosi, in a letter to her Democratic colleagues, said that she has asked Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler to be prepared to bring to the House floor "a resolution to appoint managers and transmit articles of impeachment to the Senate.""I will be consulting with you at our Tuesday House Democratic Caucus meeting on how we proceed further," the California Democrat said.
The Democrat-led House impeached Trump last month for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, charges the White House has refuted.Pelosi, who initiated an impeachment inquiry into Trump in September 2019, has been withholding the articles of impeachment and has refused to name impeachment managers, who will make the House's impeachment case in a Senate trial.Pressure is mounting on Pelosi, who is trying to give Democrats more leverage in setting rules for the trial in the Senate, where Republicans have a narrow majority.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has criticized Pelosi's moves, has said that the Senate should model Trump's impeachment trial after that of former President Bill Clinton's case in 1999 by dealing with potential witnesses after the trial begins.Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, however, has said he wants to make sure certain witnesses would be called upon for the trial before it starts, which McConnell has so far rejected.
Top 3 | Under pressure, Iran admits it shot down jetliner by mistake
In the face of mounting evidence, Iran on Saturday acknowledged that it shot down the Ukrainian jetliner by accident, killing all 176 people aboard. The admission by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard undermined the credibility of information provided by senior officials, who for three days had adamantly dismissed allegations of a missile strike as Western propaganda.
It also raised a host of new questions, such as why Iran did not shut down its international airport or airspace on Wednesday when it was bracing for the U.S. to retaliate for a ballistic missile attack on two military bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq. No one was hurt in that attack, carried out in retaliation for the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in an American airstrike in Baghdad.
Iran’s acknowledgment alters the narrative around its confrontation with the U.S. in a way that could anger the Iranian public. Iran had promised harsh revenge after Soleimani’s death, but instead of killing American soldiers, its forces downed a civilian plane in which most passengers were Iranian.On Saturday night, hundreds gathered at universities in Tehran to protest the government’s late acknowledgement of the plane being shot down. They demanded officials involved in the missile attack be removed from their positions and tried. Police broke up the demonstrations.
Top 4 | Japanese PM leaves for Middle East trip amid U.S.-Iran tensions
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe left Tokyo for a five-day trip to the Middle East on Saturday, aiming to help ease tensions in a key region for resource-poor Japan.During his visit, Abe will hold talks with leaders in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman, according to Japanese officials.
These countries are seen by Japan as important players in stabilizing the situation in the region."Based on the friendly relations Japan has built with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman, I will call on the leaders to seek stability in the region through talks and rational measures," said Abe.
The visit precedes Tokyo's dispatch of Maritime Self-Defense Forces (MSDF) personnel and hardware to the region to conduct "information-gathering" operations. The MSDF's operational areas include the Gulf of Oman and part of the Arabian Sea.
Top 5 | Queen gathers royals for crisis meeting with Prince Harry
Queen Elizabeth II and other senior British royals were gathering for a meeting Monday with Prince Harry in an attempt to solve the crisis triggered by his bombshell announcement that he and wife Meghan were stepping back from the royal frontline.Harry's father Prince Charles and brother Prince William, with whom he has strained relations, will join the monarch at her private Sandringham estate in eastern England, according to British media.Charles just flew back from Oman, where he attended a condolence ceremony following the death of Sultan Qaboos.
Meghan is expected to join the meeting via conference call from Canada as they attempt to work out the "next steps" towards a compromise and nip the growing crisis in the bud.Issues up for debate include how much money the couple will still receive from Charles's estate, their royal titles and what commercial deals they can strike, according to the Sunday Times.
Top 6 | U.S. removes China's currency manipulator designation
The United States removed China from a list of countries it considers currency manipulators.The U.S. Treasury submitted a report to Congress saying no major trading partner met the criteria for currency manipulation. "
The Treasury Department has helped secure a significant phase one agreement with China that will lead to greater economic growth and opportunity for American workers and businesses," said U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin.
"China has made enforceable commitments to refrain from competitive devaluation, while promoting transparency and accountability.”Chinese Vice Premier Liu He arrived Monday in Washington DC to sign a "phase one" trade agreement with Washington.
Top 7 | Russian prime minister submits resignation to Putin
The Tass news agency reports that Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev submitted his resignation to President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.Russian news agencies said Putin thanked Medvedev for his service but noted thatthe prime minister’s Cabinet failed to fulfill all the objectives set for it.Russian media said Putin plans to name Medvedev as deputy of the presidential Security Council.Medvedev, a longtime close associate of Putin’s, has served as Russia’s prime minister since 2012.
He spent four years before that as president in 2008-2012.Putin asked the member’s of Medvedev’s Cabinet to keep working until a new Cabinet is formed.Medvedev’s resignation followed Putin’s annual state of the nation address earlier Wednesday. During his speech, the Russian leader proposed amending the constitution to increase the powers of prime ministers and Cabinet members.The proposed move is seen as part of Putin’s efforts to carve out a new position of power for himself to stay at the helm after his current term as president ends in 2024．
Top 8 | Britain, France, Germany formally accuse Iran of breaking nuclear deal
Britain, France and Germany formally accused Iran on Tuesday of violating the terms of its 2015 agreement to curb its nuclear program, which eventually could lead to the reimposing of U.N. sanctions lifted under the deal.The European powers said they were acting to avoid a crisis over nuclear proliferation adding to an escalating confrontation in the Middle East. Russia, another signatory to the pact, said it saw no grounds to trigger the mechanism and Iran dismissed the step as a “strategic mistake.”
The three countries said they still wanted the nuclear deal with Tehran to succeed and were not joining a “maximum pressure” campaign by the U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, which abandoned the pact in 2018 and has reimposed economic sanctions on Iran.The countries triggered the deal’s “dispute mechanism,” which amounts to formally accusing Iran of violating the terms of the agreement.
Top 9 | Erdogan Announces Turkey is Sending Troops to Libya
Ankara and the UN-backed Government of National Accord previously signed an agreement to deploy Turkish troops to the war-torn country. Turkey noted though that the deployment would only happen if General Haftar’s army continues its offensive.During a speech to the Annual Evaluation Meeting for 2019 at the Bestepe National Congress and Culture Centre in Ankara Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that the country will be sending troops to Libya under an agreement with the Government of National Accord. Erdogan added that Turkey will use both military and diplomatic means to ensure "stability" in Libya.
The president also noted that Ankara will start search and drill activities for gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean in 2020 in line with the accord reached with the GNA and that the vessel Oruc Reis has already started seismic studies."After signing a maritime and security deal with Libya, it's not legally possible to carry out exploration and drilling activities [for gas] or to lay a pipeline without the approval of both countries", Erdogan said.
Top 10 | China, U.S. sign phase-one trade deal
Chinese Vice Premier Liu He said on Wednesday that the phase one economic and trade deal between China and the United States is beneficial not only for both countries, but also for the whole world.Addressing a ceremony for the formal signing of the landmark agreement in the East Room at the White House, Liu said China and the United States, the world's two largest economies and two major players in international affairs with great responsibilities, reached the phase one deal "with the big picture in mind" and through "acknowledging and properly managing" their differences.
He added that the deal is not in conflict with the legitimate rights and interests of any third party, and is also in accordance with World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.Liu says China will purchase "40 billion U.S. dollars in U.S. products annually, if the market remains strong."
At the opening of his speech, Liu said he wanted to "pay utmost respect" to the two countries' heads of state, and to thank the negotiating team from both sides, for making the deal possible.Calling economic and trade cooperation "the propeller of the overall bilateral relationship," Liu noted the two countries have encountered some difficulties in economic and trade areas over the past two years."
There have been several setbacks in negotiations, but we were not overwhelmed by difficulties," Liu said. After continuous efforts by both teams, China and the United States reached the phase one deal based on the principle of equality and mutual respect, which illustrated a Chinese saying "There are always more solution than problems."After the signing of the deal, China hopes that both sides will strive to implement the deal in an earnest manner, by sticking to the principle of equality and mutual respect, abiding by all agreed terms, discussing with each other when problems emerge, and accommodating each other's core concerns, Liu said.
（ASIA PACIFIC DAILY）
