Saudi-Led G20 Summit Marks Global Turning Point in Tackling Pandemic

UK £2 Issue 250, Year 5 March 29, 2020 EU €2.50 www.thearabweekly.com Turkish military Salafists’ Abu Dhabi crown industry buttresses opportunistic prince’s solidarity ambitions overreach towards Syria Page 16 Page 13 Page 3 Saudi-led G20 summit marks global turning point in tackling pandemic fallout Serious questions and a lot of work remain ahead for the G20 in its stewardship of the global economy. Sabahat Khan gether and cooperate in order to face this challenge.” Prospects for a coordinated world- Dubai wide health response and economic support had been marred by divi- he first virtual Group of 20 sions between the United States and summit, presided over by China over responsibility for the pan- Saudi King Salman bin Ab- demic. T dulaziz Al Saud, set the track At the end of the meeting, G20 for a global approach to tackle the leaders released a communique tell- worldwide fallout from the spread- ing the world they are prepared to do ing coronavirus pandemic but many whatever it takes to overcome coro- short- and long-term questions re- navirus pandemic. main. The G20 announced plans to inject Saudi Arabia, which assumed the $5 trillion into the global economy rotating presidency of the G20 this to preserve financial stability and year, called an extraordinary meet- revive growth by restoring confi- ing of the group and organised it in dence. The World Bank is finalising less than a week. a relief package of up to $160 billion International summits typically of its own while the United Kingdom take months of preparation — the committed $253 million towards the G20’s annual summit is scheduled international effort for finding a vac- for November in Riyadh — but the cine for coronavirus. coronavirus outbreak created the ne- Although few specifics were given cessity for an emergency meeting. on commitments made, the G20 vir- US President Donald Trump, Chi- tual summit appears to mark a turn- nese President Xi Jinping, Russian ing point. Global challenge. Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud attends G20 videoconference (AFP) President Vladimir Putin, French The virtual summit also signals discussing the coronavirus pandemic, March 26. President Emmanuel Macron and US-China cooperation on the pan- British Prime Minister Boris John- demic, with Xi pledging Beijing’s full nancial crisis or worse.” Lebanon, Jordan, Tunisia and Egypt gees such as Syria, Turkey, Lebanon, son, who has since been diagnosed support to Washington over a private Financial ratings agency Moody’s where high debt levels prevail. Iraq, Libya and Yemen. with coronavirus, were among world call later with Trump. is forecasting the G20’s combined In the shorter term, the Middle Riyadh led the push for G20 coun- leaders participating in the emergen- Serious questions and a lot of work GDP to fall 0.5% this year, with the East must solicit support from the terparts to make important com- cy 2-hour meeting March 26 via vide- remain for the G20 in its stewardship United States contracting 2% and the G20 to ensure it can remain protect- mitments and begin work towards a oconference. of the global economy. eurozone 2.2%. ed from the health crisis but also the comprehensive plan. German Chancellor Angela Merkel Global markets remain volatile and The resource-rich Middle East economic fallouts of the pandemic. Carrying on from this first virtual and Canadian Prime Minister Justin under pressure, supply chains face could be among the hardest hit eco- Timely debt relief and economic summit, Saudi Arabia will build even Trudeau took part in the proceedings unprecedented disruption and fore- nomically with plummeting demand support could ease the effects of crip- greater momentum towards the G20 from their homes, where they were casts of a global economic recession for commodities such as oil, gas and pling social lockdowns across large, summit in November, which is likely under self-isolation. are multiplying. by-products but also with activity in urbanised populations. Medical aid to mark a defining moment for the The lead-up to the virtual sum- Following a virtual meeting of G20 aviation, tourism and real estate vir- such as protective gear for health- long global recovery. mit raised questions around how far finance ministers and central bank- tually frozen. care workers, testing kits, face masks leaders would be able to strike con- ers, International Monetary Fund G20 members are yet to decide and sanitisers will prove critical in Sabahat Khan maintains a sensus. (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina on debt relief or easing measures early detection and containment cross-disciplinary focus in In his summit-opening remarks, Georgieva was downbeat in suggest- that could provide much-needed where inadequate health facilities international security, defence King Salman reminded world leaders ing the world faces “a recession at economic relief for important parts exist and especially with large num- policy and strategic issues. “the world counts on us to come to- least as bad as during the global fi- of the Middle East, particularly bers of displaced people and refu- P2,20 Lockdowns do not come easy but Arab governments have few options Lamine Ghanmi has not been easy. Authorities have “The vehicles are an effective tool ing for restrictions prevailed. Social In Baghdad, the anniversary of the and Samar Kadi made arrests, confiscated cars and for ministry officials to communicate workers and retired doctors volun- death, in the eighth century, of Imam imposed steep penalties against vio- government messages and interact teered to help. A group of 150 people, Musa al-Kadhim drew tens of thou- lators. Chaotic distribution of goods with the public while limiting per- mostly women, also volunteered in sands of pilgrims. Tunis forced Jordanian officials to relax son-to-person contact,” said Radh- Tunisia to confine themselves in a As they sit home and ponder the tough restrictions. ouane Ben Farhat, who works for the factory for a month to manufacture public health crisis, many spend n the face of the mounting toll of To dissuade violators of confine- manufacter of the robots. much-needed surgical masks. time watching television and surfing the coronavirus pandemic, most ment rules, Tunisian police used ro- In most of the Arab world, wariness Most mainstream Muslims schol- the internet. Sober discussions are of the Arab region, as many other bots to issue warnings. about the disease and understand- ars have been supportive of govern- often punctuated with conspiracy I parts of the world, has been cata- ment decisions closing all places of theories. pulted into full lockdown mode, with worship as a precautionary measure airline travel suspended, schools to stem the spread of the virus. shuttered, human movement re- But some Salafist advocates tried Convincing citizens of duced to strict essentials and eco- to exploit the situation by billing abiding by curfews and nomic activity screeching to a halt. mosque closures and bans on group confinement orders has The number of confirmed corona- prayers as an assault on the faith. not been easy. virus cases passed 5,000 in Turkey Moroccan Salafist preacher Abdelha- and 3,000 in Israel and was more mid Abou Naim called the closures An opinion survey conducted than 1,000 in Saudi Arabia. Most “a scandal” and issued threats that March 25-26 in Tunisia showed that other countries in the Middle East led to authorities arresting him on a plurality of 46% of respondents and North Africa reported hundreds anti-terrorism laws. shared the conspiratorial view that of cases. “Whether in Algeria, Morocco or the coronavirus was man-made by Iran remains the worst-hit country Egypt, Salafists seem to have agreed “US labs seeking to weaken China.” in the region, with an official death on using the epidemic to serve their toll of more than 2,500 and more political ambitions,” noted Egyptian Lamine Ghanmi is an Arab Weekly than 35,000 people infected. About writer Ahmad Hafez. Salafist at- correspondent in Tunis. Samar 21,000 people were hospitalised and tempts seemed, however, to have lit- Kadi is The Arab Weekly Travel and more than 3,000 were listed in seri- tle sway with the public. Society section editor. Mahmud el- ous or critical condition. Unauthorised but mostly tolerated Shafey and Mohammed Alkhereiji Restrictive measures gradually es- nightly marches continued by small in London, Stephen Quillen in calated to daytime and night-time crowds in Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, Tunis and Saad Guerraoui in curfews in many parts of the region. Algeria and other places, uttering re- Casablanca contributed to this Convincing citizens of abiding by Keeping the faith. Tunisian women work on the production of ligious chants and praying for divine report. curfews and confinement orders medical masks in a factory in the central city of Kairouan. (AFP) help in “defeating the epidemic.” P3,5-7,9-17,20-23 2 March 29, 2020 Top news Global unity urged by Saudi king at G20 summit Rockets hit Baghdad’s Green Mohammed Alkhereiji Salman to convene a 2-hour ses- sion via videoconference. Other Zone as foreign participants included US President London Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping, German Chancellor An- militaries pull n an extraordinary G20 virtual gela Merkel and Russian President summit, Saudi King Salman bin Vladimir Putin. out troops Abdulaziz Al Saud urged world “Combating this pandemic calls I leaders to coordinate financ- for a transparent, robust, coordinat- News agencies ing of research and development ed, large-scale and science-based towards a coronavirus vaccine, se- global response in the spirit of soli- cure the global economy and assist darity,” a statement issued by G20 Baghdad underdeveloped countries in fight- leaders said. “We are strongly com- ing the pandemic, which has killed mitted to presenting a united front t least two rockets hit in- more than 8,000 people.

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