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A10   WORLD NEWS
                Tuesday 11 december 2018

            Nearly 85 percent of UN nations back migration deal; not US




            By AMIRA EL MASAITI                                                                                                 countries’  character,  im-
            JAMEY KEATEN                                                                                                        port  poverty  or  crime,  re-
            Associated Press                                                                                                    duce wages and take jobs
            MARRAKECH,        Morocco                                                                                           from tax-paying citizens.
            (AP)  —  Defying  fierce  op-                                                                                       A  total  of  164  countries
            position  from  the  U.S.  and                                                                                      among the 193 U.N. mem-
            a few other nations, nearly                                                                                         bers  approved  the  agree-
            85 percent of U.N. member                                                                                           ment    by   acclamation
            states  agreed  Monday  on                                                                                          Monday. The U.N. General
            a  sweeping  yet  non-bind-                                                                                         Assembly will meet on Dec.
            ing accord to ensure safe,                                                                                          19 to endorse it.
            orderly and humane migra-                                                                                           At  the  two-day  confer-
            tion.                                                                                                               ence,  U.N.  leaders  were
            The debate over the Glob-                                                                                           hoping  to  lure  in  holdouts
            al  Compact  for  Migration,                                                                                        from  mostly  Western  na-
            the first of its kind, has prov-                                                                                    tions  who  were  not  sign-
            en  to  be  a  pivotal  test  of                                                                                    ing:  Australia,  Austria,  the
            the U.N.-led effort to crack                                                                                        Czech  Republic,  the  Do-
            down on the often danger-                                                                                           minican  Republic,  Hunga-
            ous and illegal movements                                                                                           ry,  Latvia,  Poland  and  Slo-
            across  borders  that  have                                                                                         vakia along with the United
            turned  people  smuggling                                                                                           States,  which  under  Presi-
            into  a  worldwide  industry,                                                                                       dent Donald Trump did not
            and  give  people  seeking   Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel walks past U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and   participate  in  drafting  the
            economic  opportunity  a     Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for International Migration Louise   accord.
            chance.                      Arbor in Marrakech, Morocco, Monday, Dec.10, 2018.                                     Louise  Arbour  of  Cana-
            “Unregulated      migration                                                                        Associated Press  da,  a  former  U.N.  human
            bears  a  terrible  human  rakech,  Morocco.  “More  cities,  families  fleeing  war  greases  the  wheels  of  the  rights  chief,  said  the  issue
            cost: a cost in lives lost on  than  60,000  migrants  have  or  persecution  at  home,  world  economy  by  diver-  also  has  been  tied  up  in
            perilous  journeys  across  died on the move since the  impoverished  workers  from  sifying  and  rejuvenating  parliamentary  debates  in
            deserts, oceans and rivers;  year  2000,”  he  said.  “This  the developing world look-  workforce  in  aging  rich  Belgium,  Bulgaria,  Estonia,
            and  a  cost  in  lives  ruined  is  a  source  of  collective  ing for jobs in rich countries.  countries  and  providing  a  Italy,  Israel,  Slovenia  and
            at the hands of smugglers,  shame.”                       It  can  also  involve  high-  needed  source  of  cash  to  Switzerland  —  although
            unscrupulous     employers  Migration affects hundreds  skilled  workers  from  devel-  poorer  countries  through  some  of  them  did  partici-
            and  other  predators,”  U.N.  of millions of people across  oped  nations  looking  for  remittances  sent  home  by  pate  in  creating  the  ac-
            Secretary-General    Anto-   the globe — farmers com-     opportunities  beyond  their  migrants.  Opponents  of-   cord, which has since been
            nio  Guterres  told  a  migra-  ing off the land or forced by  homelands.              ten  fear  that  an  influx  of  ensnared by tough political
            tion  conference  in  Mar-   climate change to head to  Defenders  say  migration  migrants  can  dilute  their  headwinds.q


            Armenian PM’s bloc wins majority in parliamentary vote



            By AVET DEMOURIAN                                                                                                   led by Pashinian. Sargsyan
            Associated Press                                                                                                    was  accused  of  trying  to
            YEREVAN,  Armenia  (AP)                                                                                             cling to power by switching
            —  Allies  of  Armenia’s  new                                                                                       to  be  prime  minister  after
            leader have won an over-                                                                                            10  years  as  president,  and
            whelming majority of seats                                                                                          lasted only days in that role.
            in the country’s early parlia-                                                                                      The preliminary vote results
            mentary  election,  accord-                                                                                         Monday  showed  the  Re-
            ing to preliminary results re-                                                                                      publicans  polling  less  than
            leased Monday.                                                                                                      5  percent,  which  means  it
            Prime Minister Nikol Pashin-                                                                                        will  be  unlikely  to  make  it
            ian,  a  43-year-old  former                                                                                        into parliament.
            journalist, took over in May                                                                                        An election observers’ mis-
            after  spearheading  mas-                                                                                           sion  of  the  Organization
            sive protests that forced his                                                                                       for  Security  and  Coopera-
            predecessor to step down.                                                                                           tion  in  Europe  on  Monday
            He had pushed for an early                                                                                          praised  the  election  for
            parliamentary  vote  to  win                                                                                        “genuine     competition,”
            control  of  the  chamber                                                                                           saying  the  vote  was  “held
            that was dominated by his                                                                                           with respect to fundamen-
            political foes.                                                                                                     tal  freedoms  and  enjoyed
            Pashinian himself has found                                                                                         broad public trust.”
            broad  popularity,  tapping   Acting Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian casts his ballot in a polling station during an early   The OSCE noted there was
            into  public  anger  over    parliamentary election in Yerevan, Armenia, Sunday, Dec. 9, 2018.                      no vote-buying or pressure
            widespread  poverty,  high                                                                         Associated Press  on  voters  but  expressed
            unemployment  and  ram-      lion  that  borders  Georgia,  crushing  defeat  for  the  time leader Serzh Sargsyan,  concern  over  “cases  of
            pant  corruption  in  the  for-  Azerbaijan, Turkey and Iran.  former  ruling  Republicans  who  was  ousted  from  of-  inflammatory   rhetoric
            mer  Soviet  nation  of  3  mil-  Those  figures  represent  a  Party  of  Armenia’s  long-  fice in May by the protests  online.”q
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