The European Union agrees on
Iranian oil embargo
The
European Union has agreed to a ban on Iranian oil imports as part of increased
sanctions over its nuclear development program. EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine
Ashton said, "I want the pressure of these sanctions to result in
negotiations." The foreign ministers agreed on a ban on any new contracts for
Iranian crude oil or petroleum products, and for all existing contrast to end
by July 1. The timeline
was decided so the member countries with the most fragile economies,
particularly Greece, Italy, and Spain, can find alternative sources of oil. The
European Union is the second largest importer of Iranian oil after China,
purchasing about 20 percent of its exports. Senior Iranian politician, Ali Fallahian,
responded that Iran should end exports prior to the July 1 deadline, "so that
the price of oil soars and the Europeans...have trouble." The European measures
are expected to also include sanctions on Iran's central bank, falling in line
with recent U.S. sanctions imposed on New Year's Eve. According to a European
diplomat, "We want them to think ‘This is really getting very, very serious
now.'" Iran has threatened to close the Strait
of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which 20 percent of the world's oil
passes.
Headlines
- Yemen's outgoing President
Ali Abdullah Saleh left Yemen for medical treatment in the United
States a day after the parliament passed a law granting his immunity.
- Syria
rejected an Arab League proposal calling for President Bashar al-Assad
to step
down and advanced elections to form a "national unity government."
- Egypt's lower house
of parliament held its inaugural session with the Muslim Brotherhood
holding 235
seats, and the Salafists with 121.
- Libya's National
Transitional Council deputy head, Abdel Hafiz Ghoga, resigned
after an attack by an angry mob of protesters criticizing the NTC for not
delivering on promises.
- France will vote on a bill Monday declaring it illegal to deny the Armenian
genocide after a senate committee recommendation suggested the law would be
unconstitutional.
Daily Snapshot
CAIRO,
EGYPT - A general view for the first Egyptian parliament session after
the revolution that ousted former President Hosni Mubarak, January 23,
2012 in Cairo, Egypt. The session, chaired by Mahmoud el-Saqqahm, comes
as the trial of the former President continues with prosecutors seeking a
death penalty. The session is due to elect a speaker and two deputies
(Asmma Waguih - Pool/Getty Images).
Arguments & Analysis
Saudi women break a barrier -- the right to sell lingerie (Thomas W. Lippman, New York Times)
"Over the coming generation, this is likely to be the farthest-reaching
transformation in Saudi society. While women are still constrained by
law, religion and custom, more and more are likely to enter the work
force. They will be better educated than their predecessors, will marry
later and will have fewer children. The range of jobs and professions
open to them will expand. The Ministry of Labor is already compiling a
list of jobs women will be permitted to hold. It won't include all jobs --
no female miners or construction workers here -- but it will be a much
longer list than in the past, including some positions in law
enforcement."
'Egyptian women: performing in the margin, revolting in the center' (Zainab Magdy, Open Democracy)
"But when revolting is over, do we go back to performing in the margins,
trying to shift our positions for a breath? Where do we go in those intervals
when the majority of the nation prefers to live in the comfort of the lie that
is SCAF's honesty? Now that we've taken a break from the performative act, I
feel that there is no going back. There is fluidity in defining the performer
and those watching. There is also an awareness of the difference between both
states so that the performer becomes aware of the politics of such a
performance and so becomes more powerful."
'The Arab League to Syria's President: It's time for you to go' (Rania Abouzeid, Time)
"But instead of diplomatic politesse,
proceedings were thrown into disarray after Saudi Arabia, stepped out of
the background role it has played so far in the Syria crisis, to
forcefully push for an end to the Syrian government's ferocious
crackdown against its opponents. For months, Qatar has taken the lead on
Syria. In a move that likely persuaded other countries, especially Gulf
states, to take a stronger line against Damascus, Saudi Foreign
Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal told his counterparts that his country
would withdraw its observers from the much-criticized League monitoring
mission in Syria due to the continued shedding of "blood that is dear to
us all.""
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