Middle East & North Africa

BAGHDAD, Dec 23 (NNN-NINA) – The Iraqi authorities yesterday took several restrictive measures, including a travel ban to eight countries, where the new strain of virus has spread, as the total nationwide infections reached 586,503.

A statement by the media office of Iraqi Prime Minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, said, the Council of Ministers, headed by al-Kadhimi, held a meeting to take new restrictive measures, to protect the Iraqi people from a new strain of virus, that has spread recently in many countries, which is characterised by rapid transmission of infection.

23 Dec 2020; MEMO: The Turkish parliament yesterday began discussing a memorandum submitted by the Presidency of the Republic to extend the tasks of Turkish forces in Libya and Afghanistan for an additional 18 months.

The memorandum was submitted to parliament on 12 December and seeks to extend the duties of the armed forces in Libya, for an additional 18 months, as of 2 January.

23 Dec 2020; MEMO: The Presidential Council of Libya yesterday denied media reports claiming its head and Prime Minister of the Government of National Accord (GNA), Fayez Al-Sarraj, had sent a letter to renegade General Khalifa Haftar asking him to nominate a prime minister, Anadolu news agency reported.

23 Dec 2020; MEMO: Members of the inquiry into Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption case related to submarines and warships resigned yesterday over a jurisdiction dispute, local media reported.

The mission, which was tasked last month by Alternate Prime Minister and Defence Minister Benny Gantz to complete the mission, resigned, according to Haaretz, due to a dispute with Israel's Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit over the panel's jurisdiction.

23 Dec 2020; MEMO: Five Yemeni ministers in the new government have left the temporary capital Aden and headed to the Saudi capital Riyadh to take the constitutional oath before President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi.

23 Dec 2020; MEMO: Egypt plans to file an international lawsuit in an effort to protect Egyptian investments in Ethiopia which have been negatively affected by the unrest in the Tigray region of the country, an official has said.

ANKARA (Reuters) -Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that a call by the European Court of Human Rights for the release of Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtas was hypocritical and only Turkish courts can rule on his case.

The Grand Chamber of the ECHR ruled on Tuesday that Turkey must immediately release Demirtas, the former leader of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) who has been jailed for more than four years on terrorism-related offenses. It said justification for his detention was cover for limiting pluralism and political debate.

ANKARA (Reuters) -President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Turkey hopes to “turn a new page” in its ties with the United States and European Union, and that Ankara had been subjected to double standards by both its NATO ally Washington and the bloc.

This month Washington sanctioned Turkey over its acquisition of Russian S-400 missile defences, and the EU also prepared punitive measures over Turkey’s dispute with members Greece and Cyprus over Mediterranean offshore rights. The bloc decided to postpone the measures until March.

DUBAI (Reuters) - Qatar’s foreign minister has called for a de-escalation of tension in the Gulf region and for dialogue between Arab countries and Iran, Al Jazeera reported on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and non-Gulf state Egypt severed diplomatic, trade and travel ties with Qatar in mid-2017 over accusations that Doha it supports terrorism, charges which Qatar denies.

RABAT, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Morocco and Israel agreed on Tuesday to immediately establish full diplomatic relations.

The two countries agreed to "immediately resume full official contacts, and establish full diplomatic, peaceful and friendly relations," said a joint declaration issued by Morocco, the United States and Israel in the Moroccan capital Rabat.

The declaration was signed by Morocco's Prime Minister Saad Dine El Otmani, Senior Advisor to U.S. President Trump Jared Kushner, and Israeli National Security Advisor Meir Ben-Shabbat.