KABUL, 06 February 2022, (TON): IEA said “Mawlawi Abdul Salam Hanafi, Deputy Prime Minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), met with Fran Equiza, UN Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan and his accompanying delegation.”

According to Enamullah Samangani, an IEA deputy spokesman, the meeting was also attended by the country director of the World Food Program (WFP) in Afghanistan, Mary-Ellen McGroarty.

Expressing confidence that a secure environment will emerge with the rule of the IEA, Fran Equiza, said “we are continuing our efforts to reach as many people in need as possible, and because of that, we need to coordinate and create more facilities.”

Equiza thanked the World Food Program for facilitating the flow of food aid across the country without any problems, Samangani quoted him. Meanwhile, WFP country directory Mary-Ellen McGroarty, called for more support for the organization’s distribution of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, and shared some of their problems in the meeting.

In return Abdul Salam Hanafi assured them that the IEA has developed a plan so that aid can be distributed transparently.

KABUL, 06 February 2022, (TON): A senior UN official said “the United Nations has about $135 million in the bank in Afghanistan but is unable to use it because the Taliban-run central bank cannot convert it to the afghani currency.”

Abdallah al Dardari, head of the UN Development Programme in Afghanistan, said “the United Nations had taken the US dollars into the country and deposited it with the Afghanistan International Bank with a clear promise from the central bank that fresh cash will be automatically converted to afghanis.”

He told the ACAMS Global Sanctions Space Summit “this did not happen.”

He added that UNDP itself has “$30 million stuck at AIB that I cannot convert to afghanis and without afghanis as you can imagine, we cannot implement all our programs.”

The Taliban, who seized power in August, banned the use of foreign currency in a country where US dollars were common.

The Islamist group has long been under international sanctions, which the United Nations and aid groups say are now hindering humanitarian operations in Afghanistan, where more than half the country’s 39 million people suffer extreme hunger and the economy, education and social services face collapse.

DHAKA, 06 February 2022, (TON): Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal today said “the law enforcement agencies of the country are not involved in the forced disappearance.”

Hsaid “we always say that members of our law enforcement agencies are not involved in any forced disappearance. No one goes missing in Bangladesh, some people go into hiding for various reasons and come back later.”

The minister made the statement while replying to a question from journalists after visiting the law and order situation marking the Saraswati Puja at Rajdhani High School in city’s Manik Miah Avenue.

Police officials and members of the Puja organizing committee were present on the occasion.

Wherever people go missing, they are found after few days as they go into hiding for various reasons, Kamal said, adding but those incidents are termed as ‘forced disappearance’.

Speaking about the law and order situation in the hill areas, the minister said apart from some problems in the hills, situation is much better than previous time.

DHAKA, 06 February 2022, (TON): US House Foreign Affairs Committee chair Gregory W. Meeks has sought enhanced Dhaka-Washington ties saying he did not believe no wholesale sanctions of the United States were warranted in regard to Bangladesh.

He said in a statement “I continue to support the strengthening of the US-Bangladesh relationship and look forward to working to help address human rights and democracy challenges in the country, including ensuring that the country’s next elections are free and fair.”

US House Foreign Affairs Committee issued the statement of its chair who said he did not believe any wholesale sanction over rights issues in Bangladesh was currently warranted.

The Congressman said “I believe sanctions can be most useful when they are targeted and don’t believe wholesale sanctions on Bangladesh are currently warranted.”

WASHINGTON, 05 February 2022, (TON): The Biden administration restored some sanctions relief to Iran’s atomic program as talks aimed at salvaging the languishing 2015 nuclear deal enter a critical phase.

As US negotiators head back to Vienna for what could be a make-or-break session, Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed several sanctions waivers related to Iran’s civilian nuclear activities.

The move reverses the Trump administration’s decision to rescind them.

The waivers are intended to entice Iran to return to compliance with the 2015 deal that it has been violating since former President Donald Trump withdrew from the agreement in 2018 and re-imposed US sanctions.

Iran said “it is not respecting the terms of the deal because the US pulled out of it first. Iran has demanded the restoration of all sanctions relief it was promised under the deal to return to compliance.”

Friday’s move lifts the sanctions threat against foreign countries and companies from Russia, China and Europe that had been cooperating with non-military parts of Iran’s nuclear program under the terms of the 2015 deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA.

The Trump administration had ended the so-called civ-nuke waivers in May 2020 as part of its maximum pressure campaign against Iran that began when Trump withdrew the US from the deal in 2018, complaining that it was the worst diplomatic agreement ever negotiated and gave Iran a pathway to developing the bomb.

PARIS, 05 February 2022, (TON): The French armed forces minister said “France will reinforce the United Arab Emirates' air defence system after a series of ballistic missile and drone attacks launched from Yemen by Iran-aligned Houthi rebels on the country.”

Paris has close economic and political ties with Abu Dhabi and has a permanent military base in the Emirati capital. It sealed a deal in December to sell some 80 Rafale fighter jets to the Emirates, the largest ever overseas sale of the French warplane.

"The United Arab Emirates was victim of serious attacks on its territory in January," Florence Parly wrote on Twitter. "In order to show our solidarity with this friendly country, France has decided to provide military support, in particular to protect the airspace against any intrusion."

The UAE has in the past fortnight been attacked twice with drones and missiles, claimed by the Houthis, including one targeting a base hosting the US military.

It was thwarted by US-built Patriot interceptors.

France's Armed Forces Ministry said the agreement with Abu Dhabi would see operations conducted from the Al Dhafra air base offering refuelling and surface-to-air capacities.

WASHINGTON, 05 February 2022, (TON): Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State, On behalf of the United States of America, I offer warm congratulations to the people of Sri Lanka on the 74th anniversary of your independence on February 4.

The United States and Sri Lanka have a long history of friendship and partnership. 

As you commemorate your national day, we take a moment to celebrate our joint work on economic recovery, democratic governance, and bringing our people together.

Over the last year, the United States and Sri Lanka collaborated to respond to maritime environmental disasters and support affected communities, promote sustainable economic development, and increase opportunities for women and small businesses.

WASHINGTON, 05 February 2022, (TON): Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke yesterday with Republic of Korea (ROK) Foreign Minister Chung Euiyong.

Secretary Blinken reaffirmed the alliance as the linchpin of peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and beyond and discussed ways to further deepen cooperation on regional and global issues.

The Secretary condemned the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) recent ballistic missile launches, which were in violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions, and reaffirmed openness to diplomacy and dialogue with the DPRK.

The Secretary also emphasized trilateral cooperation with Japan towards the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.  The Secretary thanked the Foreign Minister for the ROK’s commitment to working with the United States on ending the pandemic.

WASHINGTON, 05 February 2022, (TON): Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Yael Lempert will visit Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain, February 3-11.

Acting Assistant Secretary Lempert will lead an interagency delegation to Amman where she will meet senior officials to discuss regional security and bilateral issues.

The Acting Assistant Secretary will then travel to Riyadh, Bahrain and Kuwait, where she will meet with government officials and civil society leaders.

RIYADH, 05 February 2022, (TON): Al Ekhbariya reported “the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen has struck targets in Yemen's capital.”

The coalition said it had hit Sanaa and a number of other provinces.

The coalition said “the operation had been taken to safeguard against threats to civilian lives.”

The Iran-backed Houthi militia often use drones to attack the southern regions of the Kingdom.

The Houthis have also been condemned for attacking the UAE in recent weeks.