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world news Diaranson 7 october 2020

Top Israeli, UAE diplomats meet in Berlin for talks

(AP) — The foreign ministers of the United lah and Ashkenazi referred to each other as "my
Arab Emirates and Israel met in Berlin on friend" and pledged to continue to work together.
Tuesday for talks that Germany hopes will Ashkenazi, speaking through a translator, said
strengthen nascent ties between the two na- the opportunity to visit the Holocaust Memorial
tions and bolster broader Middle East peace with his Emirati counterpart had been a "historical
efforts. moment."Sheikh Abdullah, also speaking through
a translator, thanked Maas for hosting their meet-
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said it was ing and said he hoped the improved relations with
a "great honor that the Israeli and Emirati foreign Israel would provide "new impetus toward stability
ministers have chosen Berlin as the location for and peace" in the Middle East.
their historic first meeting" since the two countries Maas pledged Germany's support wherever it was
agreed to normalize relations in a U.S.-brokered desired.
deal. The agreement, signed at a White House cer- Before the talks, Maas said the "courageous peace
emony last month, reflects the changing politics of agreement" between the two countries is "the first
the Middle East, in which shared concerns about ed to the 6 million Jews killed by Nazi Germany, good news from the Mideast in a long time, and at
archenemy Iran have largely overtaken traditional and walked together through the maze-like monu- the same time an opportunity for new movement
Arab support for the Palestinians, who reject the ment made up of undulating concrete slabs. in the dialogue between Israel and the Palestin-
deal as a betrayal. The state-run Emirates News Agency reported ians." Germany is a strong supporter of Israel, but
"The most important currency in diplomacy is that Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed at the same time has been critical of its settlement
trust, and I am personally grateful to both of my Al Nahyan stressed to Maas and Israeli Foreign policies and also works closely with the Palestin-
colleagues for placing this trust in Germany," Maas Minister Gabi Ashkenazi that the monument "con- ians and is in favor of a Palestinian state as part of a
said in a statement. "We are doing everything we firms the importance of strengthening the values of "two state" solution.
can to be good hosts for the dialogue between the tolerance, coexistence and acceptance around the Maas said "courage and trust" are what is needed in
two countries on how to shape their future bilat- world." the Middle East peace process.
eral relations." The three later met behind closed doors at a se- "We must seize this opportunity, and Germany and
In a sign of just how far relations had come in a cluded government guest house on the outskirts of Europe want to help," Maas said. "I hope that Ber-
very short time, the three ministers together visited the German capital. lin can offer a good framework to discuss further
Berlin's downtown Holocaust Memorial, dedicat- In statements to the press afterward, Sheikh Abdul- steps on this path."

Germany: OPCW confirms nerve agent used in Navalny poisoning

(AP) — The global chemi- cause he was being treated in pean Union partners to talk
cal watchdog group has Berlin, and suggested that the about the next steps.
confirmed Germany and OPCW report means Russia OPCW experts gathered
other countries' findings can no longer make excuses their own samples from Na-
that Russian opposition not to respond. valny and sent them to two
leader Alexei Navalny was "The OPCW will make its designated labs for tests.
the victim of an attack results, and as far as possible Earlier Tuesday, Germany
with a Soviet-era nerve also its analysis, available to and its allies at a meeting
agent, German Chan- all 193 member states," Maas of the OPCW's Executive
cellor Angela Merkel's said. "That is important be- Council called on Moscow to
spokesman said Tuesday. cause it's not a bilateral issue fully investigate and explain
between Germany and Rus- how Navalny was poisoned
Steffen Seibert said in a state- sia, it's an international topic with a military-grade nerve
ment that the Organization — the use of a nerve agent af- agent.
for the Prohibition of Chem- fects the entire international "It is up to Russia — where
ical Weapons, or OPCW, had community." the chemical attack occurred
carried out its own analysis He added that for Germany, — to shed light on the inci-
of samples taken from Na- "any use of chemical weapons dent, and to provide an ex-
valny, and they "agree with is completely unacceptable planation on how a chemical
the results already from spe- and cannot go unanswered." nerve agent came to be used
cial laboratories in Germany, In a statement, OPCW Di- in a reckless act against a Rus-
Sweden and France." rector-General Fernando sian citizen on Russian soil,"
Navalny, a corruption inves- Arias called the test results "a Germany's representative to
tigator who is Russian Presi- matter of grave concern." the organization, Gudrun
dent Vladimir Putin's fiercest Asked about the watchdog's Lingner, said in a statement.
critic, was flown to Germany report in a conference call "Up to now, the Russian Fed- deadly consequences of care for 48 hours.
two days after falling ill on with reporters, Kremlin eration has not provided any Novichok used as a chemical After the OPCW's confirma-
Aug. 20 during a domestic spokesman Dmitry Peskov credible explanation." weapon in the United King- tion, a group of 44 member
flight in Russia. German of- refrained from comment, Lingner said that Russian re- dom," said Nicola Stewart, states including Germany, the
ficials said last month that saying that the Kremlin needs sponses so far to calls for clar- the U.K.'s deputy permanent U.K., the United States and
labs found traces of a chemi- to see the report to react. ification about Navalny's poi- representative to the OPCW. France delivered a statement
cal agent from the Novichok Seibert said Germany re- soning "seek to obfuscate, to "We are appalled that there at the Executive Council
family in the Russian politi- ceived the OPCW's report deflect responsibility and to should have been a repeat meeting strongly condemn-
cian's system. on Monday and was still ex- distract from the main point anywhere in the world." ing the attack on Navalny.
"This once again confirms amining it. Officials were — the use of a military-grade Russia's statement to the The U.K. delegation to the
unequivocally that Alexei still trying to determine how nerve agent." meeting wasn't immediately organization tweeted a copy
Navalny was the victim of an much of the information The United Kingdom, which published online. Moscow of the statement, which also
attack with a chemical nerve could be released to the pub- accused Russia of using a has bristled at demands for called on Russia "to inves-
agent from the Novichok lic without causing a security Novichok nerve agent in a an investigation, saying that tigate to disclose in a swift
group," Seibert said. risk by allowing knowledge 2018 attack on former double Germany needs to share and transparent manner the
German Foreign Minister of the substance to "fall into agent Sergei Skripal and his medical data in the case or circumstances of this chemi-
Heiko Maas said it was just the wrong hands." daughter in the English city compare notes with Russian cal weapons attack" and share
happenstance that German He added that Germany of Salisbury, supported Ger- doctors. Germany has noted the findings with the OPCW
labs had been the first to con- would be consulting closely many's demand for answers. that Russian doctors have before its next full meeting of
clude that Navalny had been in the coming days with the "It is less than three years their own samples from Na- member states, scheduled to
poisoned by Novichok be- OPCW and a group of Euro- since we saw first-hand the valny since he was in their start on Nov. 30.