Russian troops occupied the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in the early stages of the invasion of Ukraine. AP
Russian troops occupied the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in the early stages of the invasion of Ukraine. AP
Russian troops occupied the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in the early stages of the invasion of Ukraine. AP
Russian troops occupied the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in the early stages of the invasion of Ukraine. AP

UAE 'strongly condemns' reports of violence at Ukraine nuclear plants


Tim Stickings
  • English
  • Arabic

The UAE said on Wednesday that it “strongly condemns” reported acts of violence at nuclear power plants in Ukraine that have triggered fears of a disaster.

Hamad Alkaabi, the UAE's permanent representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency, said averting a nuclear catastrophe was “of utmost importance”.

Mr Alkaabi also called on Iran to co-operate with the IAEA to “build confidence” that its nuclear activities are peaceful.

He spoke at non-proliferation talks taking place in Vienna after a summit last year ended in a stalemate because of differences over the war in Ukraine.

Russia and Ukraine have both blamed the other over reports of shelling near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.

The IAEA said last week that its experts had found anti-personnel mines on the edge of the Zaporizhzhia site.

Fighting near the site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986 also caused concern after Russia invaded Ukraine last year.

“It is of utmost importance for the international community to prevent nuclear disasters, whether resulting from direct attacks on nuclear facilities or inadvertent consequences of conflict,” Mr Alkaabi said.

“We strongly condemn reported violent actions at nuclear facilities in Ukraine, as such actions pose serious threats to the safety and security of these facilities, their personnel, the public and the environment.”

Emergency drills have taken place at the Zaporizhzhia plant to prepare for a radiation accident. Reuters
Emergency drills have taken place at the Zaporizhzhia plant to prepare for a radiation accident. Reuters

Russian troops occupied the Zaporizhzhia plant early on in the invasion but it continues to be operated by Ukrainian staff.

Moscow recently announced that it would send short-range nuclear weapons to Belarus, its close ally.

Izumi Nakamitsu, the UN's high representative for disarmament, called on Russia and the US to observe their last remaining arms control treaties and discuss “what is needed” in the future.

Mr Alkaabi said the UAE " continues to advocate for diplomacy and dialogue” with regard to Iran, which is in a long-running dispute with the IAEA over unexplained nuclear activities.

Iran's compliance with non-proliferation and safeguards agreements “is essential to build confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear programme”, Mr Alkaabi said.

“Credible explanations and full co-operation and transparency with the IAEA are crucial in this regard.”

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What sanctions would be reimposed?

Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:

  • An arms embargo
  • A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
  • A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
  • A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
  • Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
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Sector: E-commerce
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Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

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Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face

The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.

The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran. 

Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf. 

"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said. 

Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer. 

The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy. 

 

The smuggler

Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple. 
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.

Khouli conviction

Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.

For sale

A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.

- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico

- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000

- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950

 

 

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Updated: August 02, 2023, 3:35 PM`