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Top Lebanese officials were aware of risks posed by storage of ammonium nitrate
According to The Media Line, Human Rights Watch released a report on Tuesday saying that, Lebanese President Michel Aoun, caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab, the director-general of state security, and a number of other former ministers and officials were aware of the overwhelming risks posed by the storage of ammonium nitrate at Beirut Port, but ignored the danger.
The stored chemical exploded in a massive blast a year ago, on Aug. 4, 2020, that killed more than 200 people, injured thousands, and caused widespread destruction.
The media outlet said, the 700-page HRW report, which summarized the results of an extensive investigation, including multiple interviews with top government officials, concluded that multiple Lebanese authorities were criminally negligent under Lebanese law.
It added, it called on the UN Human Rights Council to do its own investigation into the event and asked governments around the world to impose sanctions on the officials responsible.
The report said: “Evidence strongly suggests that some government officials foresaw the death that the ammonium nitrate’s presence in the port could result in and tacitly accepted the risk of the deaths occurring.”
President Aoun said Friday that he was willing to testify regarding the explosion and that no one was above the law.
Source: themedialine
Image source: Wikimedia Commons-themedialine
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- November 7, 2024
Amid growing anxiety among several European countries participating in NATO over Donald Trump's victory in the U.S. presidential election, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte stated he looks forward to sitting down with Trump.
Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.
Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.
On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.
It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.
Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.
Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
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