Saudi Effort to Restore International Stature Culminates at G20 Summit ► Crown Prince Mohammed’S Participation at the G20 Was Closely Watched by International Media
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UK £2 Issue 184, Year 4 December 2, 2018 EU €2.50 www.thearabweekly.com Arab Wither Erdogan-Tamim heritage goes Arab summit in normalisation in Malta with Israel? Istanbul Page 23 Pages 12-13 Page 4 Saudi effort to restore international stature culminates at G20 summit ► Crown Prince Mohammed’s participation at the G20 was closely watched by international media. Mahmud el-Shafey ing terrorism and confronting Iran. The crown prince also met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The London Saudi Foreign Ministry published a photograph of the two men shaking audi Crown Prince Mo- hands and smiling broadly. hammed bin Salman bin “China firmly supports Saudi Abdulaziz returned to the Arabia in its drive for economic di- S international stage at the versification and social reform and Group of 20 summit in Argentina. will continue to stick together with The reception he received in Bue- Saudi Arabia on issues involving nos Aires seemed to vindicate his their core interests,” China’s state- bet on international outreach to owned Xinhua News Agency quot- overcome the reputational damage ed Xi as saying. that Riyadh had to deal with since There had been fears that world the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal leaders would distance themselves Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate from Crown Prince Mohammed fol- in Istanbul last October. lowing the furore over Khashoggi’s The 33-year-old heir to Saudi King death by what Riyadh claims was a Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud met rogue operation involving officials with world leaders, including US who exceeded orders to question President Donald Trump, Russian the journalist. Investigations into President Vladimir Putin, French Khashoggi’s killing continue and President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Arabia’s public prosecutor British Prime Minister Theresa May, has charged 11 people in relation to On the world stage. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz (L) speaks with Russian while at the G20. the death. President Vladimir Putin during the opening of the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, November 30. (Reuters) Putin greeted Crown Prince Mo- Crown Prince Mohammed flew to hammed warmly and the two men Buenos Aires following a whistle- were seen laughing and joking dur- stop regional tour that took him to tries on the way there, [Crown ing place each year since the 2008 Macri opened the summit with a ing the opening leaders’ session. the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Prince Mohammed] has neutralised global financial crisis. The group call for world leaders to work to- Video of the initial hearty hand- Egypt and Tunisia, where he re- the designs of Saudi Arabia’s en- was founded in 1999 by the Group gether. “The essence of the G20 is shake between Putin and the crown ceived warm welcomes. There were emies. He has not withdrawn from of Seven with the aim of providing to foster dialogue while respecting prince went viral on social media. protests in Tunis about the crown public life or avoided confronting developing countries with a voice differences and we hope to lay the A White House statement said prince’s visit but they were over- the challenges he faces,” said Saudi regarding the global economy and foundation for consensus for the Trump “exchanged pleasantries” shadowed by the warm reception columnist and former general man- to coordinate and prioritise global next 10 years,” he said. with Crown Prince Mohammed at extended by Tunisian President ager of Al Arabiya news channel Ab- financial stability. “Many people look at us and have the same meeting. Saudi state me- Beji Caid Essebsi. dulrahman al-Rashed. The summit in Buenos Aires was doubts regarding these summits dia described interactions between Khashoggi’s death has become Crown Prince Mohammed’s par- an optimal setting for the Saudi and what they’re good for. It is our the two as “friendly.” the centrepiece in a regional tug of ticipation at the G20 — his first in- crown prince to return to the inter- duty to show to the world that to- Trump has repeatedly highlight- war between Saudi Arabia and its ternational appearance outside the national scene, especially with Chi- day global challenges require global ed the importance of US-Saudi re- allies and rivals Qatar and Turkey, Middle East since October — was na-US trade tensions dominating responses,” he added. lations, pointing to a $110 billion which have exploited the killing closely watched by international the meeting. Issues such as migra- arms deal with the kingdom and Ri- in an attempt to turn global public media. tion and climate change were also Mahmud el-Shafey is an Arab yadh’s important role in advancing opinion against Riyadh. The G20 summit is a meeting of on the agenda at a particularly frac- Weekly correspondent in London. Washington’s policies in the Middle “No one can deny that, by visit- representatives of the world’s larg- tious time in global politics. East, particularly through counter- ing Argentina and four other coun- est economies that has been tak- Argentinian President Mauricio P 2-3 Viewpoint Lebanese women still struggle with inequitable system here are a few tragic country. Most of the well-known fe- major parliamentary bloc to the However, those Lebanese legisla- situations that test the male politicians only played a lead- bill submitted by a member of the tors and the political elite have yet limits of humanity and ing role due to their family feudal Progressive Socialist Party. to address those more pressing Makram Rabah shake one to the core. status or other subjective reasons While women wait for the legisla- matters because the so-called elite Chief among them, the that moved them to the forefront. tors to fulfil their empty promise, has been unable to moderate their sight of a child force- As it stands, six women have their children suffer from a state differences. This has led to the Tfully and unjustly removed from seats in the 128-member Lebanese bureaucracy and regulations, which collapse of the state and an ever- the bosom of his or her mother over parliament, most of whom were goes out of its way to make the menacing economic catastrophe an ugly custody battle. picked by their respective govern- non-Lebanese, especially Palestin- looming. The Lebanese recently witnessed ments to portray an image of ians and Syrians, feel unwelcome. Rather than merely empathising incidents involving two mothers modernity. Many children of Lebanese women with Lebanese mothers and their who were forced to hand over their Just like their male colleagues, married to foreigners must leave uphill battle with the custody laws, child or risk incarceration. In one female parliamentarians are pawns Lebanon after they become adults the Lebanese should acknowledge case, police stormed the house of to their sectarian parties. Be that because they are barred from cer- that the system they so fondly vote the mother and handed the 2-year- as it may, the overhaul of the tain professions. for every few years disenfranchises old boy to his father, a high-ranking Lebanese political system is not An equally important legal not only women but most of the security official. the hindrance to women achieving demand that women have yet to at- population. The crux of this predicament their political and social rights but tain is the criminalisation of sexual Despite the legal battles won does not dwell on the fact that the rather the fact that their legitimate harassment, which is not clearly over time, ultimately the difficul- personal status laws of Lebanon demands have been sidelined by stipulated under the Lebanese ties facing women in Lebanon are merely empower women but rather the ruling establishment for lacking penal code. reminders that, contrary to what that the legal and political system is urgency. In the previous parliament in the Lebanese propagate, their The difficulties facing rooted on a paternal male chauvin- Perhaps topping these women’s 2014, former MP Ghassan Mouk- country’s laws remain far behind women in Lebanon ism that promises, yet never deliv- rights demands is the campaign to heiber, a renowned legal and civic in being ers any kind of, reform. grant Lebanese women married to activist, proposed a law that would equitable to women and there is are reminders that, Activists have rigorously cam- foreigners the right to pass on their punish all forms of sexual harass- little chance of reform. contrary to what the paigned for women to achieve some nationality to their children, which ment, including the despicable act Lebanese propagate, parity in the sectarian Lebanese current law prohibits, citing the of cat-calling. Shamefully, many of Makram Rabah is a lecturer at political system. Despite their huge naturalisation of Palestinian refu- his lawmaker colleagues ridiculed the American University of Beirut their country’s laws efforts, only limited changes have gees and the delicate demographic this proposal as being a waste of the and author of “A Campus at War: remain far behind in been made balance as its weak pretext. assembly’s resources, which should Student Politics at the American Despite attaining suffrage in 1953, Despite their palpable complaints be used to attend to more pressing University of Beirut, 1967-1975.” being equitable to Lebanese women have played little and lobbying, female activists are matters such as the economy and women. or no role in the political life of their yet to get the endorsement of any political stability. P 21 2 December 2, 2018 Cover Story Saudi Arabia Saudi leader works Arab region in drive to reinstate standing Lamine Ghanmi here say you do not welcome loved ones who are at home,” Caid Essebsi said.