Middle East & North Africa

ISLAMABAD, 17 Feb 2019; AA: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman delayed his visit to Islamabad by a day, officials said Saturday.

He is due to arrive in the capital on Sunday for a two-day official visit accompanied by a high-level delegation including members of the royal family.

Earlier, he was expected to arrive on Saturday, but the visit was delayed without citing any reason.

EDIRNE, 16 Feb 2019; AA: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that Turkey aims to reduce its dependence on foreign energy sources.

Speaking at a campaign rally for local March 31 elections in northwestern Edirne province, Erdogan said that Turkey aims to maximize domestic resource utilization in energy.

"In 2017, our electricity generation from domestic sources was 45 percent. Now, it has reached 60 percent," Erdogan said.

RAMALLAH, 17 Feb 2019; AA: Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Secretary-General Saeb Erekat on Sunday accused Israel and the U.S. of seeking to destroy the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority (PA).  

"Israel's intention to cut the PA tax funds is part of the Israeli-American plan that aims at destroying the Palestinian Authority,” Erekat told Palestine's radio in an interview.  

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A biennial arms fair has opened in the United Arab Emirates as the country faces increasing scrutiny over its involvement in the Saudi-led war in Yemen.

While the war went unmentioned at the opening ceremony of the International Defense Exhibition and Conference in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, it was clearly present in the theatrical show offered to spectators.

MUNICH (AP) — Iran’s foreign minister is blasting the United States’ “unhealthy fixation” with his country and condemning the Trump administration’s efforts to press European countries to pull out of the nuclear agreement with Tehran.

Mohammad Javad Zarif addressed the Munich Security Conference on Sunday, a day after U.S. Vice President Mike Pence prodded European powers Germany, France and Britain to follow Washington in withdrawing from the deal and to “stop undermining U.S. sanctions.”

Ankara, Feb 16 (AFP) President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would not "turn back" on a deal with Moscow to buy Russian S-400 missile defence systems in comments published on Saturday.

Turkey's push to buy the systems has raised questions among NATO allies over their compatibility with alliance equipment as well as concerns over the burgeoning relationship between Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Friday hailed the successful delivery of aid to a remote makeshift settlement in Rukban on the Syria-Jordan border.

The United Nations and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent on Thursday completed a nine-day mission to Rukban, delivering much-needed humanitarian assistance to more than 40,000 displaced people, said OCHA in a press release.

BEIRUT, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- The new Lebanese government won on Friday the vote of confidence with 111 votes out of 128 after discussing the ministerial statement for four days during this past week, Tele Liban local TV Channel reported.

Prior to the voting, Prime Minister Saad Hariri gave a speech while focusing on the need to conduct reforms in a bid to avoid the deterioration of the country on all levels.

"We have agreed on the main points in the statement and we know very well that if we do not agree the country will collapse," he said.

RAMALLAH, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinians expressed intense opposition to the Warsaw conference on the Middle East, co-organized by Poland and the United States, where Israel and some Arab states participated.

Palestinian observers told Xinhua in separate remarks that holding the conference deepened the Palestinians' concerns that the U.S. administration is seeking to jump over the Arab Peace Initiative at the expense of eliminating the Palestinian cause.

HEBRON, West Bank (AP) — Following Israel’s expulsion of an international observer force from the volatile West Bank city of Hebron, Palestinian activists are trying to fill the void by launching their own patrols to document alleged Israeli settler violence.

Armed with video cameras and donning blue vests, the activists say they will replace the Temporary International Presence in Hebron. The group has enlisted 18 volunteers and began its work this week.