Jumat, 05 Juli 2019

Iran Demands Return of Tanker Held in Gibraltar - Wall Street Journal

A British Royal Navy ship, back right, patrols near supertanker Grace 1 suspected of carrying crude oil to Syria in violation of European sanctions after it was detained off the coast of Gibraltar on July 4. Photo: jorge guerrero/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
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BEIRUT—Iran demanded the immediate release of one of its tankers impounded with the help of British forces in Gibraltar this week, an incident that has angered Tehran and exacerbated tensions between Iran and Western countries.

The British ambassador to Iran was summoned to the country’s foreign ministry Thursday night shortly after British Royal Marines assisted in the detention of an oil tanker that was bound for Syria in suspected violation of European Union sanctions. Iran has supported Syrian President Bashar al-Assad through an eight-year war.

A senior Iranian Foreign Ministry official told British Ambassador Robert Macaire that the seizure of the tanker was “tantamount to maritime piracy.” The official “stressed that Britain has no right to impose its own unilateral sanctions or those of the European Union in an extraterritorial manner against the other countries,” according to the ministry’s website.

The U.K. Foreign Office didn’t comment on the meeting but in a statement Friday said it welcomed “This firm action by the Gibraltarian authorities, acting to enforce the EU Syria Sanctions regime.”

The European Union doesn’t have broad sanctions in place against Iran and isn’t known to have impounded an Iranian oil tanker before. But it has banned oil shipments to Syria.

Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Expediency Discernment Council, which advises the supreme leader, on Friday tweeted that Iran should seize a British tanker if the Iranian vessel isn’t released.

“The Islamic Revolution has never initiated any battles in its 40-year history but has also never hesitated in responding to bullies,” Mr. Rezaei added on Twitter.

A day earlier, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said the impounded tanker named Grace 1 was carrying fuel from Iran, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.

The unusual seizure of the Iranian vessel piles pressure on Tehran, which has tried to find ways to evade U.S. sanctions imposed with the aim of slashing the country’s oil exports to zero.

The incident in Gibraltar, a British overseas territory, adds to growing acrimony between Iran and the EU, as Tehran moves toward a second violation of the 2015 nuclear accord on Sunday when it has said it will surpass limits imposed by that agreement on its uranium enrichment. The U.S. pulled out of the deal last year and has imposed sanctions on the country since then.

European nations have worked to keep the pact alive, but tensions with Iran have risen, with Tehran saying Europe hasn’t done enough to offset U.S. economic pressure.

The tanker was impounded in Gibraltar, off the southern tip of Spain, after sailing south to take a long route around Africa.

As U.S. sanctions have bitten harder than the Iranian leadership expected, Tehran has taken a more confrontational approach, and in June shot down a U.S. surveillance drone. Washington also accuses Iran of attacking six oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, a charge Iran denies.

In the wake of harsh sanctions by the Trump administration, Iran’s oil exports have fallen to around 230,000 barrels a day, mostly to China, according to a former Iran oil official.

The decline in oil sales has put a serious strain on Iran’s economy. Its budget is based on the assumption that Iran would be able to export 1.5 million barrels a day, already a stark drop from the 2.5 million barrels it exported a day this time last year.

—Benoit Faucon in London contributed to this article

Write to Sune Engel Rasmussen at sune.rasmussen@wsj.com

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https://www.wsj.com/articles/iran-demands-return-of-tanker-held-in-gibraltar-11562337490

2019-07-05 14:38:00Z
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India budget 2019: The key announcements and what they mean - BBC News

India's first full-time female finance minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, has presented her maiden annual budget. The BBC's Aakriti Thapar explains what the major announcements were and what they mean for India.

This is the first budget since Prime Minister Narendra Modi's landslide victory in the general election this year. There were big expectations because it came against the backdrop of an economic slowdown and record-high unemployment levels.

Ms Sitharaman said that India could grow to a $5 trillion (£4 trillion) economy in the next five years (from $2.7 trillion) and outlined her priorities for spending. But she did not announce exactly how all funds would be allocated.

Roads, rail and rural development

The finance minister said boosting the country's infrastructure was the government's top priority. This is in line with Mr Modi and his BJP party's main election promise. In his manifesto, he had pledged to spend $1.44 trillion on infrastructure by 2024.

While she emphasised investments ($72bn) to improve railway infrastructure, Ms Sitharaman said the government would also build 125,000km (77,671 miles) of roads over the next five years at a cost of $11.6bn.

Many of the development schemes announced focused on bridging the rural-urban divide.

Targeting 2022, India's 75th year of independence, Ms Sitharaman announced that all houses would have electricity and cooking gas. She also said that all rural households would have clean water supply by 2024.

Tax increases for the wealthy

Corporate tax will be reduced to 25% from 30% for companies that have an annual turnover of up to $58m. This, the finance minister said, would include 99.3% of firms in India. She added that this would boost profits for a large number of companies, but she and experts also say it is an important step to stimulate investments.

While there was no change in the income tax structure for most brackets, Ms Sitharaman announced a 3% increase in taxation for some of the highest earners in Indian society - those with an income between $292,000 - $730,000 - and a 7% increase for those with an income above $730,000.

Foreign investment liberalisation

India recently lost its status as the world's fastest-growing major economy and the government knows it needs to attract investment to spur growth.

Ms Sitharaman said she would examine options to open up foreign direct investment in the aviation, media and animation, and insurance sectors.

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She also said rules would be relaxed for single-brand retail companies. At the moment, such companies - like Ikea and Apple - are required to source 30% of their materials or components locally. Those components aren't always available in India or they are of poorer quality.

Multi-brand retailers like Walmart will have to continue to operate within the same constraints that they currently face. They're only able to sell their products via e-commerce platforms or in conjunction with Indian groups.

In the 2018-2019 Economic Survey presented a day before the budget, Chief Economic Advisor Krishnamurthy Subramanian said that an increase in foreign investments would lead to job creation, greater productivity and would also foster exports to create demand.

What's in it for the common man?

While there hasn't been an increase in income tax for most citizens, some products are likely to become more expensive as the government seeks to boost its revenues.

Local taxes on petrol and diesel will increase by two rupees while an import tax of one rupee per tonne has been levied on crude oil. Gold and other precious metals will also become more expensive after import duties were increased.

Some relief may come to the common man via a new tenancy and affordable housing framework but details are yet to be released.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-48880908

2019-07-05 14:31:22Z
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Hong Kong Celebrities Who Support Protests Pay a Heavy Price From China - The New York Times

HONG KONG — As Hong Kong’s protests evolve into a struggle against the grip of authoritarian China, one of the city’s biggest pop stars has emerged as an icon of defiance. She has spoken at rallies, handed out voter registration forms at marches and stood on the front lines with demonstrators, urging the riot police not to charge.

Denise Ho, a Cantopop singer, is just one of many high-profile figures in the decentralized protest movement, but among Hong Kong’s celebrities, she is a rare breed. Ms. Ho threw her stardom behind the city’s pro-democracy movement five years ago and has since been paying the price — being barred in the lucrative mainland Chinese market.

Ms. Ho defended the recent protests after Monday’s destructive turn when a core group of younger protesters stormed the city’s legislative offices. That day, Ms. Ho left a peaceful march to join a crowd outside the complex that was cheering on the students, and was still there after midnight when hundreds of riot police officers moved in to disperse them, with some firing tear gas.

In 2014, Ms. Ho’s career had been taking off in China, and she had played more than 100 concerts there. Then she took part in a protest movement in Hong Kong that called for freer elections in the semiautonomous territory.

The Chinese government barred her from performing and scrubbed her music from the playlists of streaming websites. The blacklisting cut around $120,000 from her annual income, her manager said.

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CreditKin Cheung/Associated Press

The ban only emboldened Ms. Ho, reminding her of the need to protect the freedom of speech and other civil liberties that set Hong Kong apart from the rest of China.

“For me, it is always about the people, for the people to be empowered and for them to believe that we can control our destiny,” she said in a recent interview.

But for other celebrities, whose careers have come to depend on the mainland Chinese market, Ms. Ho’s punishment served as the latest warning from the governing Communist Party that it has a low tolerance for political dissent. Most stars stay out of politics. Others have chosen to support Beijing, and have been rewarded.

“Most of these people have stayed silent,” said Ms. Ho, who has livestreamed her appearances at demonstrations, including one in which she appeared to be shoved by a police officer. “It gets really frustrating and of course lonely for the people, especially for the younger people.”

[Here’s what to know about Hong Kong’s evolving protest movement.]

From her privileged perch, Ms. Ho has given voice to Hong Kongers’ grievances across the world, speaking at the Oslo Freedom Forum, writing op-ed pieces and giving interviews. She is scheduled to speak to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday.

Yet few among Hong Kong’s performers have made public appearances at the huge protests of recent weeks against a bill that would allow extraditions to China.

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CreditVincent Yu/Associated Press

It is a stark contrast to 1989, when Hong Kong was still a British colony in the midst of a golden era of entertainment and there was little in the way of a mainland Chinese market. That year, a star-studded list of Hong Kong entertainers turned out for a concert to support the pro-democracy student protesters in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. Jackie Chan performed, and the actors Andy Lau and Chow Yun-Fat called in to express their support.

In recent years, as nationalist sentiment in the mainland has grown and the economy has rapidly expanded, the authorities, companies and fans have frequently shunned performers who take stances that are seen to be critical of Beijing.

Aside from Ms. Ho, others blacklisted after the 2014 protests, known as the Umbrella Movement, reportedly also included Mr. Chow and Tony Leung Chiu-wai. Some stars found themselves shut out by fans and companies in the mainland. Job opportunities suddenly evaporated.

During the recent protests, several industry organizations, including the Hong Kong Film Directors’ Guild, issued statements demanding the total withdrawal of the extradition bill.

However, other than Ms. Ho, only a handful of individual entertainers, including the actor Anthony Wong Chau-sang and the Cantopop singer Anthony Wong Yiu-ming, have spoken out.

Some entertainers who only hinted at their support for the demonstrations have come under pressure to clarify their positions.

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CreditVisual China Group, via Getty Images

Miriam Yeung Chin-wah, a Hong Kong actress and singer, posted an image of the term “R.I.P.” on her Instagram, which many fans saw as a tribute to a protester who fell to his death last month. Ms. Yeung later deleted the post without explanation, prompting a wave of criticism from fans who accused her of bowing to mainland pressure.

Charmaine Sheh, a Hong Kong actress popular in mainland China, was subject to a barrage of online attacks after she “liked” a post showing the anti-extradition protests on Instagram, which is blocked in China.

Ms. Sheh apologized soon after. “I was shocked when I later realized what was in the post,” she wrote on a Chinese social media site. “I, Sheh Sze-man, love the country and love Hong Kong!”

A few stars such as the actor Tony Leung Ka-fai and the singer Kenny Chung have publicly supported the police, whom protesters condemned for using excessive force when dispersing crowds.

“It’s a bit dangerous for us to come out today as public figures,” Mr. Chung said at a pro-police rally on Sunday. “But we are not speaking about politics — we are talking about justice.”

Others have pleaded ignorance.

Jackie Chan, the superstar Hong Kong-born actor of “Rush Hour” fame, was in Taiwan to promote a new album last month when reporters asked about his views on the protests in Hong Kong. Mr. Chan said he had only just learned about them.

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CreditChiang Ying-Ying/Associated Press

“I don’t know anything about it,” he said.

Anthony Wong Yiu-ming, 57, the Cantopop singer, is one of the few established artists who spoke out against the extradition bill along with Ms. Ho. He came out as gay in 2012 and said the experience encouraged him to break the industrywide silence about politics.

“I am a civilian first,” Mr. Wong said in a telephone interview, “then a musician and also a social activist.”

But speaking in support of the Umbrella Movement, which Beijing criticized as a national security threat, came at a high cost. Mr. Wong said he had lost more than half of his annual income that came from China, as well as partnerships with international brands.

“I’ve been singing for 30 years and I can afford to pay this price,” he said. “A lot of people would then become too scared to speak up or express themselves. This is the most chilling part of it.”

Ms. Ho said that choosing to speak out had been liberating. “I am feeling quite free,” she said.

On Friday night, the singer spoke to a rally of about 1,000 protesters and urged them to persevere despite the arrest of several demonstrators.

“We have to learn how to turn a short-term protest into a long-term resistance,” she said. “And we have to learn how to integrate our resistance into our daily lives.”

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https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/05/world/asia/hong-kong-protests-celebrities.html

2019-07-05 14:11:33Z
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Three sisters who killed abusive father charged with murder in Russia. Outrage ensued - USA TODAY

Nataliya Vasilyeva Associated Press

Published 9:35 AM EDT Jul 5, 2019

MOSCOW, Russia — One evening last summer, Mikhail Khachaturyan decided that his living room wasn't tidy enough, so he summoned his three teenage daughters one by one and doused each with pepper spray.

There was little unusual about this evening in the Khachaturyan household, according to court records, except for one thing: The sisters decided they couldn't take the violence and abuse anymore. They waited until their father fell asleep in his rocking chair and attacked him with a kitchen knife and a hammer. He put up a fight, but died within minutes.

The Khachaturyan sisters, now aged 18, 19 and 20, were charged last month with premeditated murder, in a case that has drawn outrage and shone a light on the way the Russian justice system handles domestic violence and sexual abuse cases.

More than 200,000 people have signed an online petition urging the prosecutors to drop the murder charges, which could land the sisters in prison for up to 20 years.

Supporters of the sisters have protested outside Russian embassies in more than 20 locations abroad, and a theater has staged a performance in solidarity. They had planned a major rally in central Moscow on Saturday, but said they had to cancel it, citing city hall refusing to provide security for the gathering.

"The Khachaturyan case is quite indicative of the general situation with domestic violence and how the Russian state responds to this problem," says Yulia Gorbunova, who authored an extensive report on domestic violence for Human Rights Watch last year.

'Totally powerless': The startling toll on children who witness domestic violence is just now being understood

Pressured by conservative family groups, President Vladimir Putin in 2017 signed a law decriminalizing some forms of domestic violence, which has no fixed definition in the Russian legislation. Police routinely turn a blind eye to cases of domestic abuse, while preventive measures, such as restraining orders, are either lacking or not in wide use.

Court filings showed that the Khachaturyan sisters were repeatedly beaten by their father, a war veteran, and sexually abused. He had kept a stockpile of knifes, guns and rifles at home despite having been diagnosed with a neurological disorder, and was known to shoot indoors. He repeatedly threatened neighbors and family with violence.

The Khacharutyan sisters' lawyers say the girls were driven to the edge.

"The first day we met," Krestina's lawyer Alexei Liptser said, "she said she's better off here, in jail, than living at home the way she had been."

Going to the police was not an option for Khachaturyan's victims, who feared that life for them would only get worse. The girls had shared some of the horrors they had gone through with school friends but pleaded them not to go to the police. In the year before the attack, the girls attended less than two months of classes in total, but the school administration did not interfere.

Prosecutors acknowledge the extraordinarily violent circumstances that pushed the teenagers to attack and eventually kill their own father, but they insist that Maria, Angelina and Krestina should be tried for murder. The sisters' lawyers argue that they were acting in justified self-defense in circumstances of lasting abuse and life-threatening violence.

Opinion: Why I work the domestic violence helpline: Men have a responsibility to pick up the pieces

The sisters have been released on bail and barred from seeing each other, witnesses in the case or the media. They are reportedly in good spirits. "At least, no one is beating them up," Liptser says.

The case of the three timid teenagers has inspired 29-year-old Zarema Zaudinova to direct a performance at the underground Theater Doc last week, combining the hair-raising experiences of the sisters with performers' own personal stories. Some members of the audience walked out after one of the more graphic accounts of abuse.

For Zaudinova, the Khachaturyan case was the last straw.

"We have no protection," she says. "We will either get raped or we will get thrown into prison if we defend ourselves."

Research on Russian criminal court cases compiled by media outlet Media Zona shows that out of 2,500 women convicted of manslaughter or murder in 2016 to 2018, nearly 2,000 killed a family member in a domestic violence setting.

Human Rights Watch has documented cases where "a very clear case of self-defense" was not recognized as such by prosecutors and led to the victim's imprisonment, according to Gorbunova.

"The choice is not whether you go to the police and get help," she says. "The choice for these women was either to die or they had to protect themselves to the best of their ability."

Almost 2,000 people have recently posted first-person accounts of abuse and victim blaming to social media, after a young woman facing criminal charges for injuring her alleged rapist launched the hashtag #It'snotmyfault.

The bill to replace jail terms with fines in certain cases of domestic violence breezed through the Russian parliament in 2017 and was promptly signed by Putin. Despite its detrimental effect on domestic violence victims, the measure sparked a rare public debate on domestic violence and abuse in a country where a proverb goes: "If he beats you, that means he loves you."

Gorbunova says that public perception of domestic violence has been changing, triggered by the highly publicized court cases like that of the Khachaturyan sisters or the case of Margarita Gracheva, whose husband, previously reported to the police for threats of violence, took her to a forest and chopped off both of her hands. Gracheva endured online bullying and accusations of "provoking" her spouse before her husband was sentenced to 14 years in prison last year, a rare win for a victim of domestic violence in Russia.

The women of Theater Doc say the verdict in the Khachaturyan sisters' case would send a strong message to Russian society.

"We need to fight for it, and talk loud and clear about it," says Zaudinova, who herself told a story onstage of being molested by a male relative at the age of 12. "If the girls get sent to prison and the court doesn't acknowledge that that was self-defense, they will be putting more people in prison and you won't be able to do anything to the person who decided to rape you."

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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2019/07/05/khachaturyan-sisters-russia-killed-father-charged-murder/1655129001/

2019-07-05 13:07:00Z
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Sudan celebrates end of stand-off between military leaders and opposition - CNN

Sudan's military leadership and the country's pro-democracy movement have agreed to form a rotating, joint sovereign council that will govern "for the next three years or a little longer," Mohamed el-Hassan Labat, the African Union's envoy to Sudan, said early Friday.
Under the agreement, the military council will be in charge of the country's leadership for the first 21 months. A civilian administration will rule the council during the following 18 months.
The joint sovereign council will consist of five members of the military and five civilians, in addition to one civilian chosen by consensus from both sides.
"Today our revolution has won and it waves the flags of victory," the opposition Declaration of Freedom and Change Forces (DFCF) said Friday.
The two sides have also agreed to launch an investigation into street violence committed since the ouster of long-time President Omar al-Bashir in April.
Talks between the military leadership and opposition groups collapsed after security forces broke up a protest camp outside Khartoum's military headquarters on June 3. More than 100 protesters were killed in the crackdown.
Ethiopia's government and the African Union mediated talks that led to Thursday's agreement, Labat said. Tens of thousands of protesters flooded the streets of Sudan's cities in the run-up to the deal.
Under Friday's agreement, a joint council will govern for the next three years.
The Transitional Military Council has been in power since the military overthrew al-Bashir in April. The coup followed months of protests that engulfed the country.
Sudan's pro-democracy movement remained on the streets after Bashir's ouster, demanding a transition to civilian rule.

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https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/05/africa/sudan-celebrates-intl/

2019-07-05 11:00:00Z
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Britain seizes Iranian oil tanker headed to Syria, furious Tehran summons British ambassador over 'destruct... - Fox News

Iranian leaders have summoned the British ambassador as Tehran fumes over Britain's Thursday seizure of an Iranian tanker believed to be violating the European Union sanctions by providing crude oil to the Syrian regime.

British Royal Marines supported the authorities in Gibraltar in taking the vessel amid evidence that it was trying to circumvent the EU sanctions on the Syrian regime. A senior Spanish official said the operation was requested by the United States.

IRAN WARNS EUROPE IT 'WILL TAKE NEXT STEP' TO ENRICH URANIUM TO WEAPONS-GRADE LEVEL IF NEW DEAL ISN'T REACHED

Royal Marine patrol vessel is seen beside the Grace 1 super tanker in the British territory of Gibraltar, Thursday, July 4, 2019. Authorities in Gibraltar said they intercepted Thursday an Iranian supertanker believed to be breaching European Union sanctions by carrying a shipment of Tehran's crude oil to war-ravaged Syria.

Royal Marine patrol vessel is seen beside the Grace 1 super tanker in the British territory of Gibraltar, Thursday, July 4, 2019. Authorities in Gibraltar said they intercepted Thursday an Iranian supertanker believed to be breaching European Union sanctions by carrying a shipment of Tehran's crude oil to war-ravaged Syria. (AP Photo/Marcos Moreno)

The Iranian vessel was believed to be headed to the Baniyas Refinery in Syria, a government-owned facility under the control of Syrian President Bashar Assad and subject to the EU’s Syrian Sanctions Regime.

The Iranian state-run news agency called the situation “an illegal seizure of an Iranian oil tanker” while an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman called the actions a “form of piracy” – prompting the UK’s foreign office to dismiss the claims as “nonsense.”

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi wrote in a tweet that British Ambassador Rob Macaire was summoned over the “illegal interception” of the ship and later said that the seizure was “odd and destructive.”

A Royal Marines vessel sails toward the Grace 1 super tanker in the British territory of Gibraltar, Thursday, July 4, 2019. Spain's acting foreign minister says a tanker stopped off Gibraltar and suspected of taking oil to Syria was intercepted by British authorities after a request from the United States.

A Royal Marines vessel sails toward the Grace 1 super tanker in the British territory of Gibraltar, Thursday, July 4, 2019. Spain's acting foreign minister says a tanker stopped off Gibraltar and suspected of taking oil to Syria was intercepted by British authorities after a request from the United States. (AP Photo/Marcos Moreno)

“It can cause an increase in tensions in the region,” he said in a live telephone interview on state television Thursday night.

U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton, meanwhile, welcomed Britain's move, saying the seizure was “excellent news.”

IRAN SAYS ALLEGED US SPIES MIGHT FACE DEATH PENALTY

“America & our allies will continue to prevent regimes in Tehran & Damascus from profiting off this illicit trade,” Bolton said in a tweet.

The vessel carrying Iranian oil likely had over just over 2 million barrels of Iranian crude oil, according to the data firm Refinitv.

The seizure of the tanker comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, particularly between Washington and Tehran, with the latter officially violating the 2015 nuclear deal this week by breaking through the deal put on its stockpile of low-enriched uranium – and has pledged to boost its enrichment on Sunday.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Iranian regime also shot down an American drone, prompting the Trump administration to consider military strikes on the country. The strikes were scrapped last minute by President Trump.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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https://www.foxnews.com/world/britain-seizes-iranian-tanker-syria-tehran-summons-ambassador-seizure

2019-07-05 09:13:03Z
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Sudan military council, opposition reach power-sharing agreement - Aljazeera.com

Sudan's ruling generals and a coalition of protest and opposition groups have reached an agreement to share power during a transition period until elections, in a deal that could break weeks of political deadlock since the overthrowing of autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April.

Both sides agreed to establish a joint military-civilian sovereign council that will rule the country by rotation "for a period of three years or slightly more", Mohamed Hassan Lebatt, African Union (AU) mediator, said at a news conference on Friday.

Under the agreement, five seats would go to the military and five to civilians, with an additional seat given to a civilian agreed upon by both sides

The ruling Transitional Military Council (TMC) and the civilian leaders also agreed to launch a "transparent and independent investigation" into the violence that began on June 3 when scores of pro-democracy demonstrators were killed in a brutal military crackdown on a protest camp in the capital, Khartoum.

TMC deputy head General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who is widely known as Hemeti, welcomed Friday's deal, which, he said, would be inclusive.

"We would like to reassure all political forces, armed movements and all those who participated in the change from young men and women … that this agreement will be comprehensive and will not exclude anyone," added Dagalo, who also heads the feared paramilitary unit Rapid Support Forces (RSF) accused by the demonstrators of crushing the sit-in outside the military headquarters.

Omar al-Degair, a leader of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), an umbrella organisation of opposition groups, said the agreement "opens the way for the formation of the institutions of the transitional authority, and we hope that this is the beginning of a new era". 

In a statement on Friday morning, the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), which is part of the FFC, said the transition period would last three years and three months.

Sudan

Mohamed al-Hacen Lebatt (left), AU envoy to Sudan, sits next to General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo as he shakes hands with an army general following a press conference in Khartoum [Ebrahim Hamid/ AFP]

The military would lead the sovereign council for the first 21 months, and a civilian would take over for the remaining 18 months, it said. The FFC would appoint a cabinet of ministers, the SPA said, adding that a legislative council would be formed after the appointment of the sovereign council and the cabinet. 

The two sides also agreed to set up a committee of lawyers, including jurists from the AU, to finalise the agreement within 48 hours. 

Sudan protesters demand accountability for killing of civilians (2:16)

Mass protests

The deal came after two days of talks following the collapse of the previous round of negotiations in the wake of the crackdown on the protest camp. Opposition medics say more than 100 people were killed in the dispersal and subsequent violence on June 3. Officials put the death toll at 62.

The TMC and the opposition coalition have been wrangling for weeks over what form Sudan's transitional government should take after the military deposed al-Bashir on April 11 after months of mass protests against his 30-year rule.

Protesters had remained in the streets following al-Bashir's toppling, fearing the generals intended to cling to power or preserve some form of authoritarian rule.

The AU and neighbouring Ethiopia stepped up mediation efforts to end the crisis and negotiations resumed earlier this week, following massive protests last weekend in which tens of thousands of demonstrators filled the streets of Sudan's main cities in the biggest show of numbers since the June 3 crackdown.

Sudan

Sudanese protestors celebrate in the streets of Khartoum after ruling generals and protest leaders announced they have reached an agreement on the disputed issue of a new governing body [Ashraf Shazly/ AFP] 

'More guarantees'

In Khartoum, thousands of people took to the streets to celebrate the breakthrough. But many called for continued protests and pressure on the military to implement its side of the deal. 

"We would like to see many more guarantees from the TMC because they've made many promises on handing over power only to backtrack later on," said Mohamed Ismail, a 34-year-old engineer who was part of a crowd in Khartoum's al-Sahafa area.   

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Ashraf Mohamed Ali, another protester, called the agreement a "good move for Sudan". 

"It is important to see the implementation of the deal on the ground because the TMC's actions over the past month proves this council is not serious about giving up power to civilians," he told Al Jazeera via telephone. 

"And so to have an agreement is in itself a good thing. I am happy but we want to see the deal being implemented." 

Welcoming the two sides' decision to launch an investigation into the June 3 killings, Ali said "any deal that doesn't include a real investigation isn't going to be satisfying for the majority of the civilians." 

The protesters were not happy about the possibility of Hemeti "being part of a new government", Ali said, referring to the RSF's role in dispersing the Khartoum protest camp.

"But this is the reality," he said. "The RSF control everything in Sudan. So if you want to make a deal or if you want to have a civilian government, you need to know how to deal with them, in a way that could serve your agenda and without dragging the country into war."

The United Arab Emirates, which backs the TMC, congratulated the two sides on the power-sharing deal.

"We hope that the next phase will witness the foundation of a constitutional system that will strengthen the role of institutions with broad national and popular support," UAE's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said in a post on Twitter. 

Abu Dhabi will stand with Khartoum in "good times and bad times", he added. 

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https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/07/sudan-military-council-opposition-reach-power-sharing-agreement-190705013332385.html

2019-07-05 08:58:00Z
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