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A30 world news
Diamars 10 augustus 2021

New Iran president calls Macron about stalled nuclear talks

China, was part of the origi- nuclear program in exchange
nal 2015 nuclear agreement for sanctions relief. The talks Speaking to Macron, Raisi
and has played a prominent ended in June with no date emphasized that Iran “is very
role as intermediary. set for their resumption. serious about providing se-
curity and preserving deter-
“In any negotiation, the rights Macron, for his part, called rence in the Persian Gulf and
of the Iranian nation should on Iran to “quickly resume Sea of Oman.”
be secured and guaranteed,” negotiations in Vienna in or-
he said, criticizing the U.S. der to get to a conclusion and The country routinely “con-
for abandoning the accord put an end without delay to fronts offenders of security,”
and reimposing crushing all the nuclear activities it is he added.
sanctions under former Pres- carrying out in breach of the
ident Donald Trump. agreement,” the French gov- On Lebanon, France’s for-
ernment statement said. mer colony where Iran wields
(AP) — In his first phone supreme leader who took Even as tensions rise in the great influence through its
call to a Western leader, office last week, told French region and Tehran gradu- In the days before Raisi’s in- patronage of the militant He-
the new president of Iran President Emmanuel Ma- ally abandons its own com- auguration, the region saw a zbollah group, Raisi thanked
asked his French coun- cron that the U.S. and Euro- mitments under the nuclear series of escalations, includ- Paris for its support to the
terpart Monday to help pean Union must implement deal, Raisi’s remarks signal ing an explosive-laden drone country during its historic
secure Iran’s “rights” in their commitments under the new administration’s attack on an Israeli-linked financial crisis. He said Iran
now-stalled talks to revive the landmark 2015 deal, the willingness to return to the ship off the coast of Oman welcomes anything that ad-
Tehran’s nuclear deal with official IRNA news agency table. The parties to the that killed two crew mem- vances “the stability, security
world powers. reported. agreement have convened in bers. The West has blamed and improvement of the eco-
Vienna over the last several Iran for the assault, though nomic situation of Lebanese
Ebrahim Raisi, the hard-line France, alongside the U.S., months to resuscitate the ac- Tehran has denied involve- people.”
cleric and protégé of Iran’s Germany, Britain, Russia and cord, which reined in Iran’s ment.

Belarus leader denies repression a year after disputed vote

(AP) — Belarus’ authori- and thousands beaten by grants it has blamed on Lu- that Ukraine investigate
tarian leader on Monday police. Leading opposition Lukashenko on Monday de- kashenko’s government. Vitaly Shishov’s death. “It
denied that his govern- figures have been jailed or nied that there was any re- needs to be figured out. But
ment unleashed massive forced to leave the country. pression in Belarus, adding: On Monday, the president if you’ve accused us, (put)
repression of dissent after “To unleash repressions in also threatened to stop coop- facts on the table. Facts on
his re-election a year ago Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus is (the same as) to erating with the U.S. in the the table!” he said.
triggered a monthslong Belarus with an iron fist for shoot myself. I know it well fight against the smuggling
wave of mass protests, 27 years, has denounced his and I will never cross that of radioactive materials if the Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya,
even as his law enforce- opponents as foreign stooges line.” sanctions continue. Lukashenko’s top challenger
ment officials admitted and accused the U.S. and its in last year’s election, left
receiving nearly 5,000 allies of plotting to overthrow Several hours later, however, “Who needs some dirty ex- Belarus under government
complaints about beatings his government. pressed by foreign journal- plosives going to the Euro- pressure and is now in exile
and torture. ists about numerous reports pean Union?” Lukashenko in Lithuania. She said Mon-
He has vaguely promised of beatings and torture used said. “We’re not blackmail- day that “the regime” in
President Alexander Lukash- to step down after Belarus against peaceful demonstra- ing, we’re not threatening, Minsk had turned into a “ter-
enko’s remarks came dur- adopts a new constitution tors, the president acknowl- we’re forced to react.” rorist one” and urged West-
ing an epic eight-hour press but kept quiet about when it edged that some may have ern nations to impose more
conference on the anniver- might happen. On Monday, “gotten it” from law enforce- Last week, Belarus once again sanctions on Lukashenko’s
sary of the vote that handed Lukashenko said it would ment but said that was only drew international attention. government.
him a sixth term but was de- happen “very soon.” because they “came to the At the Tokyo Games, a Be-
nounced by the opposition barricades with knives and larusian Olympic sprinter Speaking during a joint brief-
and the West as rigged. The authorities have ramped blades.” accused the country’s of- ing with Lithuanian Foreign
up their crackdown in recent ficials of trying to force her Minister Gabrielus Lands-
The event, during which Lu- months, targeting indepen- The head of Belarus’ Inves- onto a plane back to Belarus bergis, Tsikhanouskaya said
kashenko lashed out at West- dent journalists and democ- tigative Committee, Dmitry after she publicly criticized her team is working on
ern journalists while some racy activists with raids and Gora, told the press confer- the management of her team. “bringing closer an interna-
Belarusian reporters and arrests and even diverting a ence that law enforcement Krystsina Tsimanouskaya re- tional tribunal over the re-
bloggers emotionally defend- plane to the capital of Minsk received nearly 5,000 com- fused to board the plane and gime’s crimes.”
ed his government’s actions, and arresting a dissident plaints about beatings and has sought refuge in Poland.
came as Belarus faces grow- aboard. torture, but Lukashenko dis- Landsbergis said the interna-
ing pressure from the West missed them as not based on In his first comment on her tional community should not
over its treatment of govern- A total of 29 journalists are facts. case, Lukashenko accused the recognize any international
ment critics. behind bars, awaiting trials or sprinter of being a foreign agreements signed by the “il-
serving their sentences. More The pressure on dissent in stooge, saying “she wouldn’t legal president” Lukashenko.
Lukashenko asserted that than 100 non-governmental Belarus has elicited interna- have done it herself if she
the Aug. 9, 2020 presidential organizations are facing clo- tional outrage, and the U.S. hadn’t been manipulated.” The U.K. on Monday an-
election was carried out in sure. and European Union have nounced tightened economic
“total transparency” and that slapped Belarus with sanc- Around the same time, a sanctions against Belarus.
the opposition “who called On Monday evening, Be- tions that target top govern- Belarusian activist who ran New sanctions were also an-
for bashing the authorities larus’ Supreme Court ruled ment officials and key sectors a group in Ukraine helping nounced by U.S. President
(were preparing) for a coup.” to formally dissolve the Be- of the country’s economy. Belarusians fleeing persecu- Joe Biden and the govern-
larusian PEN Center, an as- tion was found hanged in ment of Canada.
Belarus was shaken by the sociation of writers led by In response, Lukashenko has Kyiv. His allies allege that
protests, the largest of which Svetlana Alexievich, the win- said his country will not try Belarus’ authorities were be- Other Western officials
drew up to 200,000 people. ner of the 2015 Nobel Prize to stem a flow of illegal mi- hind his death. marked the anniversary of
Authorities responded with in literature and member of grants to neighboring EU the election with messages
a crackdown that saw more the opposition’s Coordina- nations. Lithuania has faced Lukashenko brushed off the of support for the people of
than 35,000 people arrested tion Council. a surge of mostly Iraqi mi- accusations and demanded Belarus.