Page 28 - bon-dia-aruba-20200714

A28 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 14 July 2020
EU, Turkey clash over Hagia Sophia, Mediterranean drilling

By RAF CASERT tantly contrary to interna-
Associated Press tional obligations and inter-
BRUSSELS (AP) — Turkey national law" and said that
and the European Union Greece would be looking
clashed on Monday to prepare a list for possible
over Ankara's decision to "political, diplomatic and fi-
change the status of Hagia nancial" sanctions.
Sophia from a museum to Again, Cavusoglu stood
a mosque and its contin- firm. "If Greece were to turn
ued energy exploration in away from its maximalist
disputed Mediterranean ways and agree to a fair
waters. sharing (of rights), and if it
After their their first face- were to convince Cyprus
to-face meeting in months, to a fair sharing of reve-
the 27 EU foreign ministers nues (from the exploration
said that they "condemned of natural resources), then
the Turkish decision to con- 80% of our problems would
vert such an emblematic solved," Cavusoglu said.
monument as the Hagia Borrell said there were no
Sophia," EU foreign affairs immediate decisions at
chief Josep Borrell said. Monday's meeting but that
"This decision will inevitably the ministers would revisit
fuel the mistrust, promote the issue at their next meet-
renewed division between European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell reads a statement as he arrives for a meeting of ing in Berlin in August.
religious communities and EU foreign ministers at the European Council building in Brussels, Monday, July 13, 2020. Even as the rift between
Associated Press
undermine our efforts at di- both sides was deepening,
alog and cooperation," he move by President Recep into a mosque. "Hagia So- over energy exploration the 27 EU ministers couldn't
said after the meeting of EU Tayyip Erdogan. phia was left as a legacy in the eastern Mediterra- get that close among
foreign ministers. Greek government spokes- as a mosque and must be nean region. Turkey has dis- themselves either. It was
He said there was "broad man Stelios Petsas said used as a mosque," Cavu- patched warship-escorted their first in-person meeting
support to call on the Turk- Monday that the EU was soglu told state broadcast- vessels to drill for gas in an since the coronavirus lock-
ish authorities to urgently "faced with a challenge er TRT. "We strongly reject area where Cyprus insists down set in, but because
consider and reverse this and insult" meted out by comments that amount to it has exclusive rights. The of social distancing rules,
decision." Hagia Sophia Erdogan. Turkish Foreign an intervention in Turkey's Turkish government has there was only room for
was originally built in Istan- Minister Mevlut Cavuso- sovereign rights." said it's acting to protect its lots of elbow bumping for a
bul as a Christian cathe- glu hit back and rejected Borrell was in Turkey last interests in the area's natu- greeting and little reading
dral, and the pope and international intervention week where he also dis- ral resources and those of of lips, since ministers were
others have expressed their concerning its decision to cussed Ankara's disputes Turkish Cypriots. Petsas said wearing masks around the
sadness and criticism of the convert Hagia Sophia back with Greece and Cyprus that Turkish drilling was bla- meeting table.q

Israeli court rejects petition to curb spyware company

By ILAN BEN ZION fense," he said. The group against dissidents. It doesn't
Associated Press doesn't know what evi- disclose clients, but they
JERUSALEM (AP) — An Israe- dence NSO or the Defense are believed to include
li court has rejected a re- Ministry gave to the court, Middle Eastern and Latin
quest to strip the controver- because the hearings were American states. The com-
sial Israeli spyware firm NSO closed. "Even if we knew, pany says it sells its tech-
Group of its export license we were not able to talk nology to Israeli-approved
over the suspected use of about it," he said. governments to help them
the company's technology In 2018, Amnesty claimed combat criminals and ter-
in targeting journalists and one of its employees was rorism.
dissidents worldwide. targeted by NSO's mal- NSO Group said in a state-
The case, brought by Am- ware, saying a hacker tried ment that the company "will
nesty International in Janu- to break into the staffer's continue to work to provide
ary, called on the court to smartphone, using a What- technology to states and
prevent NSO from selling its sApp message about a intelligence organizations,"
technology abroad, espe- In this March 5, 2020 file photo, journalist and activist Omar protest in front of the Saudi adding that its purpose is to
cially to repressive regimes. Radi speaks after a hearing at the Casablanca Courthouse, In Embassy in Washington as "save human lives." In a re-
The Tel Aviv District Court Casablanca, Morocco. bait. port published last month,
ruled that Amnesty's attor- Associated Press NSO, an Israeli hacker-for- Amnesty International said
neys did not provide suf- granting the permit, the au- public on Monday. hire company, uses its Peg- Moroccan journalist Omar
ficient evidence "to prove thority conducts oversight Gil Naveh, spokesman for asus spyware to take con- Radi's phone was tapped
the claim that an attempt and close inspection, as Amnesty International Is- trol of a phone, its cameras using NSO's technology as
was made to track a hu- necessary," the court said. rael, said the group was and microphones, and part of the government's
man rights activist by trying If human rights are found disappointed but not sur- mine the user's personal efforts to clamp down on
to hack his cell phone" or to be violated, that permit prised. data. dissent.
that the hacking was done can be suspended or can- "It's been a longstand- The company has been A Saudi dissident has ac-
by NSO. "Granting a license celed, it added. ing tradition for the Israeli accused of selling its surveil- cused NSO of involvement
is done after the most rigor- The court issued its ruling on courts to be a rubber stamp lance software to repres- in Saudi journalist Jamal
ous process and also after Sunday, but only made it for the Israeli Ministry of De- sive governments that use it Khashoggi's killing in 2018.q