Wickremesinghe becomes interim Sri Lankan president

COLOMBO: Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as Sri Lanka´s interim
president Friday until Parliament elects a successor to Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who
resigned after mass protests over the country´s economic collapse forced him from
office.
The speaker of Sri Lanka´s Parliament said Rajapaksa resigned as president
effective Thursday and lawmakers will convene Saturday to choose a new leader.
Their choice would serve out the remainder of Rajapaksa's term ending in 2024, said
Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana. He expects the process to be done in seven days.
That person could potentially appoint a new prime minister, who would then have to
be approved by Parliament. With Rajapaksa done, pressure on Wickremesinghe was
rising.
Opponents had viewed his appointment as prime minister in May as alleviating
pressure on Rajapaksa to resign. He became the acting president when Rajapaksa fled
Sri Lanka on Wednesday.
Rajapaksa arrived in Singapore on Thursday and his resignation became official on
that date. The prime minister's office said Wickremesinghe was sworn in Friday as
interim president before Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya.
Sri Lanka has run short of money to pay for imports of basic necessities such as
food, fertilizer, medicine and fuel, to the despair of its 22 million people. Its
rapid economic decline has been all the more shocking because, before this crisis,
the economy had been expanding, with a growing, comfortable middle class.
Protesters cooked and distributed milk rice - a food Sri Lankans enjoy to celebrate
victories - after Rajapaksa´s resignation. At the main protest site in front of the
president´s office in Colombo, people welcomed his resignation but insisted
Wickremesinghe also should step aside.
"I am happy that Gotabaya has finally left. He should have resigned earlier,
without causing much problems," Velauynatha Pillai, 73, a retired bank employee,
said as patriotic songs were blaring from loudspeakers.
But he added that "Ranil is a supporter of Gotabaya and other Rajapaksas. He was
helping them. He also must go."
Protesters who had occupied government buildings retreated Thursday, restoring a
tenuous calm in the capital, Colombo. But with the political opposition in
Parliament fractured, a solution to Sri Lanka´s many woes seemed no closer.
The nation is seeking help from the International Monetary Fund and other
creditors, but its finances are so poor that even obtaining a bailout has proven
difficult, Wickremesinghe recently said.
The country remains a powder keg, and the military warned Thursday that it had
powers to respond in case of chaos - a message some found concerning.
Abeywardana promised a swift and transparent process for electing a new president.
"I request the honorable and loving citizens of this country to create a peaceful
atmosphere in order to implement the proper Parliamentary democratic process and
enable all members of Parliament to participate in the meetings and function freely
and conscientiously," he said Friday.
The protesters accuse Rajapaksa and his powerful political family of siphoning
money from government coffers for years and of hastening the country´s collapse by
mismanaging the economy. The family has denied the corruption allegations, but
Rajapaksa acknowledged that some of his policies contributed to Sri Lanka's
meltdown.
Maduka Iroshan, 26, a university student and protester, said he was "thrilled" that
Rajapaksa had quit, because he "ruined the dreams of the young generation."
Months of protests reached a frenzied peak over the weekend when demonstrators
stormed the president´s home and office and Wickremesinghe's official residence. On
Wednesday, they seized his office.
Images of protesters inside the buildings - lounging on elegant sofas and beds,
posing at officials´ desks and touring the opulent settings - captured the world´s
attention.
The demonstrators initially vowed to stay until a new government was in place, but
they shifted tactics Thursday, apparently concerned that an escalation in violence
could undermine their message following clashes outside the Parliament that left
dozens injured.
"The fear was that there could be a crack in the trust they held for the struggle,"
said Nuzly, a protest leader who goes by one name. "We´ve shown what power of the
people can do, but it doesn´t mean we have to occupy these places."
Closing the gate to the presidential palace after the crowds cleared out was
bittersweet, said Visaka Jayaweer, a performing artist.
"Taking over his residence was a great moment. It showed just how much we wanted
him to step down. But it is also a great relief" to leave, she said. "We were
worried if people would act out - many were angry to see the luxury he had been
living in when they were outside, struggling to buy milk for their children."
Rajapaksa and his wife slipped away in the night aboard a military plane early
Wednesday. On Thursday, he went to Singapore, according to the city-state´s Foreign
Ministry. It said he had not requested asylum.
Since Sri Lankan presidents are protected from arrest while in power, Rajapaksa
likely wanted to leave while he still had constitutional immunity and access to the
plane.
The protests underscored the dramatic fall of the Rajapaksa political clan that has
ruled Sri Lanka for most of the past two decades.
A military strategist whose brutal campaign helped end the country´s 26-year civil
war, Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brother, who was president at the time, were hailed
by the island´s Buddhist Sinhalese majority. Despite accusations of wartime
atrocities, including ordering military attacks on ethnic Tamil civilians and
abducting journalists, Rajapaksa remained popular among many Sri Lankans. He has
continually denied the allegations.
It was not immediately clear if Singapore would be Rajapaksa´s final destination,
but he has previously sought medical care there, including undergoing heart
surgery. ap

Pacific island national leaders declare climate emergency

SUVA: Pacific island national leaders declared a climate emergency on Friday and
agreed to try to bring Kiribati back to the region´s main diplomatic grouping.
Kiribati announced it had withdrawn from the 18-member Pacific Islands Forum ahead
of a leaders´ summit in Fiji this week. The move was seen as a sign of China´s
growing influence in the region.
In a soon-to-be released communique, the leaders "welcomed and fully supported" the
new Australian government´s commitment to the forum´s climate change priorities,
Australian Associated Press reported after seeing the document.
Australia, the wealthiest and most populous of the forum nations, has committed to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 43% below 2005 levels by the end of the decade
under a new government elected in May.
The previous Australian government had committed to reductions of only 26% to 28%
by 2030.
Another clause in the communique pointedly urges all forum nations to deliver
"clear progress on turning pledges and commitments into action" consistent with
containing global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit).
Australia´s current targets of a 43% reduction by 2030 and net zero by 2050 fall
short of that aspiration.
The leaders, many of whom are confronting an existential threat from a warming
planet, consider climate change their greatest security risk and declared a climate
emergency.
Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, who chaired the summit, used Twitter to urge
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to take further action.
"Australia´s new climate pledge is a step-up that Fiji has long sought - but out of
the duty I owe every young person in the Pacific, I have urged @AlboMP to go
further for our family´s shared future by aligning Australia´s commitment to the
1.5-degree target," Bainimarama posted.
Pacific unity was another key topic for leaders, heightened by Kiribati´s
withdrawal.
Australia and New Zealand will fund the Suva Agreement, which reforms the forum and
new diplomatic efforts to bring Kiribati back to the fold.
While China was not named in the communique, its growing influence in the region
was a subject of much discussion among leaders.
The United States, Australia and New Zealand have been among the most vocal critics
of a security pact signed between China and the Solomon Islands, host of next year
´s annual forum leaders´ summit.
Details of the pact haven´t been made public, but the deal has raised fears of a
permanent Chinese military facility within 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) of the
northeast Australian coast.
Australia already has a security treaty with the Solomons and Australian police
have been in the capital, Honiara, maintaining peace since riots late last year.
Australia has argued that the family of forum nations should manage their own
security concerns instead of turning to outsiders such as China. The communique
appeared to support that view with a commitment to "family first" security in the
Pacific.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said Thursday his country´s new
security pact would not allow China to build a military base in his nation and make
his citizens "targets for potential military strikes."
The forum´s dialogue partners - including the United States, China, Britain and
France - had not been invited to this year´s summit in Fiji´s capital, Suva.
But Bainimarama invited U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris to deliver a virtual
address on Wednesday, in which she proposed increasing U.S. diplomatic engagement
and financial aid.
Two Chinese embassy defense attaches who were watching Harris´ address from media
seating were spotted by a journalist and reported to police. Police asked them to
leave, The Guardian reported.
On Harris´ address, a Chinese official in Beijing said his government welcomes
greater support from others to help develop and revitalize the Pacific islands. But
the official warned that such efforts should not be undertaken to counter China.
Both the Solomon Islands and Kiribati recently shifted their diplomatic recognition
from Taiwan to Beijing. ap

China leader Xi visits Xinjiang amid human rights concerns

BEIJING: Chinese leader Xi Jinping visited the northwestern Xinjiang region this
week amid concerns over China´s detention of a million or more members of primarily
Muslim ethnic native minorities.
Xi called Xinjiang a "core area and a hub" in China´s program of building ports,
railways and power stations connecting it to economies reaching from Central Asia
to Eastern Europe, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Thursday.
Under Xi, authorities have carried out a sweeping crackdown on Xinjiang´s native
Uygur and Kazakh communities following an outburst of deadly separatist violence.
Critics have described the crackdown that placed thousands in prison-like
indoctrination camps as cultural genocide. The U.S. and others have placed
officials responsible under visa bans for their part in extra-legal detentions,
separation of families and incarcerating people for studying abroad or having
foreign contacts.
Xi met with leaders of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, a supra-
governmental body that operates its own courts, schools and health system under the
military system imposed on the region after the Communist Party's rise to power in
1949.
Xi "learned about the history of the XPCC in cultivating and guarding the frontier
areas," Xinhua reported. ap

Iran's military warns U.S. against threats to use force

The Iranian military warned the United States and Israel on Friday against
threatening Iran with force, Iranian media reported, after U.S. President Joe Biden
said he would use force as a last resort to prevent Tehran getting a nuclear
weapon.
"The Americans and Zionists (Israel) know very well the price for using the word
'force against Iran,'" Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, spokesman for the
Iranian armed forces, was quoted as saying by state media.
"Biden must have been drowsy when he threatened Iran," he said, adding, "Watch your
soldiers´ pants - they might get wet in the Persian Gulf!"
Asked by Israeli television this week whether his past statements that he would
prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon meant he would use force against
Iran, Biden replied: "If that was the last resort, yes."
On Thursday, Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid signed a joint pledge to
deny Iran nuclear arms, an apparent move toward accommodating Israel's calls for a
"credible military threat" by world powers.
Iran denies seeking seeks nuclear weapons, saying that its nuclear program is for
solely peaceful purposes.
Tehran struck a deal with six major powers in 2015 under which it limited its
uranium enrichment program to make it harder to develop a nuclear weapon in return
for relief from international sanctions.
U.S. President Donald Trump reneged on the deal in 2018 and reimposed harsh
sanctions on Iran, prompting Tehran to start violating the agreement's nuclear
limits about a year later.
Diplomatic efforts to resurrect the deal have so far failed. reuters

N.Korea says Ukraine can't talk about sovereignty while aiding U.S.

SEOUL: North Korea's foreign ministry said on Friday that Ukraine has no right to
raise sovereignty issues after joining the United States' "unjust, illegal" actions
that breached Pyongyang's sovereignty.
North Korea's state media released a statement from the ministry after formally
recognising two Russian-backed breakaway self-proclaimed republics in eastern
Ukraine as independent states.
Ukraine severed relations with North Korea after the move, calling it an attempt to
undermine its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
But the isolated country's foreign ministry defended the decision, saying Ukraine
had already aided U.S.-led actions including sanctions over the North's weapons
programmes.
North Korea has said its nuclear and missile programmes are a self defensive
deterrence, and accused the United States of maintaining "hostile policy" by
imposing international sanctions and holding military drills with South Korea.
"Ukraine has no the right to raise issue or dispute our legitimate exercise of
sovereignty after committing an act that severely lacks fairness and justice
between nations by actively joining the U.S. unjust and illegal hostile policy in
the past," the ministry said.
"We will continue to strengthen and develop friendship and cooperation with all
countries that respect our sovereignty and treat us favourably based on the
principles of sovereign equality, non-interference in internal affairs and mutual
respect." reuters

S.Korea seeks to kickstart talks to resolve historical feuds with Japan

SEOUL: South Korea hopes a high-level visit to Tokyo next week will kickstart talks
aimed at a breakthrough in historical disputes despite concerns the death of former
Japanese premier Shinzo Abe could disrupt efforts to mend ties, Seoul officials
said.
Relations between the two North Asian U.S. allies have been strained over disputes
dating to Japan's 1910-1945 occupation of Korea. Washington has been pressing for
Tokyo and Seoul to mend fences in the face of the North Korean nuclear threat and
the rising influence of China.
Officials with the administration of new South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who
took office in May vowing to improve ties with Japan, told Reuters they feel
emboldened by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's recent election victory which
could give him more scope to advance his policy agenda for another three years.
Foreign Minister Park Jin will visit Tokyo as early as next week, a trip which a
senior official handling Japan policy said is aimed at "turning on the tap" for
serious negotiations on issues relating to forced labour, which stalled under
Yoon's predecessor.
Park will visit Tokyo on July 18, Japan's public broadcaster NHK reported on
Thursday. South Korea did not immediately confirm the report.
Another official said Yoon would send a high-level delegation led by the prime
minister when Japan holds public memorial service for Abe, who was shot and killed
last week while on the campaign trail.
Yoon would also likely use his Aug. 15 Liberation Day speech marking Korea's
independence from Japan as a chance to send a reconciliatory message to Tokyo, the
official added.
"What we're trying to do is to open the door for real talks," the senior official
said.
The assassination of Abe, who was a defining leader in Japanese politics and a
divisive figure in Korea, has raised new doubts about the outlooks for relations
with South Korea, where bitter wartime memories run deep.
Some analysts say Korea might be put on the back burner while Kishida presses to
achieve Abe's unrealised dreams, including constitutional reform aimed at allowing
Japanese troops to fight overseas.
But some Korean officials see Japan is more willing to talk now, with pressure by
U.S. President Joe Biden's administration also playing a potential role.
"We see great potential in stronger trilateral relationships," Derek Chollet,
Counselor of the U.S. State Department, told Reuters this week.
Yoon and Kishida met with Biden on the sidelines of the recent NATO summit for
their first trilateral talks, and Chollet said Washington stands ready to
facilitate strong ties between its two allies.
At home, the Yoon government is gathering opinions from victims of forced labour,
lawyers and experts via a newly launched public-private panel, which held its
second hearing on Thursday.
At stake is South Korean court orders for a seizure of assets of Japanese companies
accused of not compensating some of their colonial-era labourers. Tokyo has warned
of serious repercussions if the orders are enforced.
The first official said the Yoon administration was seeking a "realistic, feasible
proposal" that can win consent from both victims and the Japanese government.
A third official was more cautious, saying the compensation issue should be
resolved alongside trade and other rows, which could make a compromise more
difficult.
Yuko Nakano, a fellow at the U.S.-based Center for Strategic and International
Studies, said any compromise would require patience and commitment from both Yoon
and Kishida.
"High-level visits and meetings often attract attention, but equally important is
to continue building on efforts that are happening below the surface," she said.
reuters

Do signs point to an Israel-Saudi normalisation deal?

The United States has hinted that more Arab nations could take steps to improve
ties with Israel, ahead of President Joe Biden's arrival in Saudi Arabia on Friday.
All eyes are on the kingdom, where Biden is to land despite a previous vow to treat
the kingdom as a "pariah" over the 2018 murder and dismemberment of Saudi
journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Yet despite the recent signs of a US-Saudi rapprochement, analysts say it is
improbable Riyadh will agree to diplomatic ties with Israel -- not during Biden's
visit or while King Salman, 86, still reigns.
The king's official policy is that there should be no peace with Israel until it
withdraws from occupied territories and accepts Palestinian statehood.
Biden's visit will likely focus on convincing the world's biggest crude exporter to
boost its oil output.
Here are some questions and answers about the possibility of a normalisation deal
between Saudi Arabia and Israel:

- What are the signs? -

Saudi's de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has said Israel was a
"potential ally, with many interests that we can pursue together", state media
reported in March, attributing the statement to an interview with The Atlantic.
Additionally, the kingdom did not show any opposition when its regional ally, the
United Arab Emirates, established diplomatic ties with Israel in 2020, followed by
Bahrain and Morocco under the US-brokered Abraham Accords.
In January 2021, Sudan's transitional government also agreed to do the same but the
northeast African country has yet to finalise the deal.
Saudi Arabia also at the time allowed direct flights from the Emirates to Israel to
travel through its airspace, in another implicit sign of approval.
Biden, who will arrive in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, is to travel directly from
the Jewish state to Saudi Arabia, becoming the first US president to fly from there
to an Arab nation that does not recognise Israel.
In 2017 his predecessor, Donald Trump, made the journey in reverse.
In an apparent gesture of openness to Israel ahead of Biden's arrival Friday, Saudi
Arabia announced it was lifting restrictions on "all carriers" using its airspace
-- effectively suspending overflight restrictions on aircraft travelling to and
from Israel.
In recent months, some Saudis have taken to social media -- which is tightly
controlled in the kingdom -- to express their support for normalisation, which
would be a shift from the kingdom's long-standing pan-Arab policy to isolate Israel
until the conflict with the Palestinians is resolved.
Esawi Frej, Israel's minister of regional cooperation, told Saudi newspaper Arab
News in June that Riyadh would be "central" to any solution to the Israeli-
Palestinian conflict.
The Axios news website reported in June that the United States was working on a
"road map" for normalisation between Israel and Saudi Arabia, while The Wall Street
Journal said the region's two most influential nations were engaging in secret
economic and security talks.

- In both countries' interests? -

Yasmine Farouk of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace said a
relationship with Israel would contribute to greater acceptance of Saudi Arabia.
"It will open doors for the crown prince, with Western people and parliaments
accepting the kingdom, and granting Saudi Arabia a greater role," she said.
This would bolster Prince Mohammed's vision of his country as "a global power, not
just an Arab and Islamic one".
Israel, for its part, wants normalisation "because not only will it open the door
to Saudi Arabia, but to other (Arab and Muslim) countries that may already engage
in secret discussions with Israel but don't dare normalise yet", Farouk said.
The two countries share a common enemy in Iran, said a Riyadh-based diplomat who
spoke on condition of anonymity.
"They are looking at it in the sense of 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend'," he
said.
Saudi officials contacted by AFP refused to comment due to the "sensitivity" of the
issue.

- Is it the right time? -

Dan Shapiro, who served as former US president Barack Obama's ambassador to Israel,
told AFP he expects Biden's trip to produce "some important steps" towards Saudi
diplomatic recognition of Israel, "probably not full normalisation, but a road map
that leads in that direction".
Actually executing that road map is "difficult as long as King Salman is alive",
Farouk said.
"The word 'normalisation' should be used more cautiously... There might be some
forms of relations but going as far as the Emirates and Bahrain, I'm still a bit
sceptical."
Kristian Ulrichsen of Rice University's Baker Institute said full diplomatic ties
are likely only when Prince Mohammed becomes king.
"In the meantime, we are likely to see a continuation of the current approach of
normalising the idea that Saudi Arabia and Israel are not enemies but share certain
regional and geopolitical interests," he told AFP. afp