Ebdaa CEO Joins Key AML/CFT Conference in Iraq
The conference, held under the theme 'Challenges Facing Arab Banks in Complying with International Regulations and Meeting Correspondent Banking Requirements,' was organized under the patronage of H.E. Mr. Mohammed Shia Al Sudani, Prime Minister of Iraq.
It was jointly hosted by the Central Bank of Iraq, the Union of Arab Banks, and the Iraqi Private Banks League.
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Gulf Insider
a day ago
- Gulf Insider
What's Standing In The Way Of A Grand Compromise On Ukraine?
Kremlin Confirms Trump-Putin Meeting 'In Coming Days', Possibly In UAEPutin and Trump publicly confirmed that they found a lot of common ground during their three-hour-long talks in Anchorage, but no grand compromise on Ukraine was reached due to 'a couple of big [points]…One is probably the most significant' that remain unresolved according to Trump. Putin's reaffirmation of the need to 'eliminate the primary causes of the conflict' and Trump mentioning how Zelensky will 'have to agree' with what the US achieved so far strongly hints at what these could be. As a reminder, Russia's official goals in the conflict are to: demilitarize Ukraine; denazify it; restore the country's constitutional neutrality; and obtain recognition of the on-the-ground reality. Putin suggested that he's become more flexible as of late, which was likely responsible at least in part for why he and Trump just met as well as for Trump's positive assessment of their talks, so he could hypothetically compromise on one, some, or all of these goals. This places the onus on Zelensky to reciprocate. In the order that Putin's goals were mentioned, Trump therefore likely expects Zelensky to either agree to: curtail the size of his armed forces after the conflict ends; get the Rada to criminalize the glorification of WWII-era Ukrainian Nazi collaborators and/or rescind anti-Russian legislation; have them remove the 2019 constitutional amendment about seeking NATO membership; and/or amend the constitution to more easily cede land without first having to hold a successful All-Ukrainian referendum on this issue. Trump also said that he'll 'call up NATO', likely referring to the leaders of key NATO countries, who he seemingly expects to facilitate a grand compromise by correspondingly: agreeing not to deploy troops to Ukraine and/or agreeing to curtail arms exports to it; 'creatively encouraging' the Rada to pass the aforesaid socio-political, neutrality, and/or territorial cession reforms (e.g. threatening to curtail aid if they don't); and/or explicitly declaring that they'll no longer approve Ukraine's NATO membership bid. They might not do so willing, however, so it's possible that Trump could: greatly reduce or even abandon the scale of mid-July's scheme to sell new US arms to NATO for passing along to Ukraine; threaten to cut off all military ties with any country that deploys troops to Ukraine; threaten to impose more tariffs on countries that don't 'creatively encourage' the Rada to pass the aforesaid reforms; and/or threaten to reduce the US' role in NATO if members don't explicitly declare their opposition to Ukraine joining. If Trump and his NATO subordinates convince Zelensky to agree to some of these compromises, then Putin might agree to: Ukraine retaining a larger military than what was agreed to in spring 2022's draft peace treaty; not pursue full-fledged denazification (e.g. tacitly accepting that traces of this ideology will remain in Ukrainian society); not object to Ukraine's limited bilateral cooperation with NATO members; and/or indefinitely freeze Russia's territorial claims (i.e. still retain but not actively pursue them). This pathway towards a grand compromise could be derailed by: a Ukrainian false-flag provocation against civilians that turns Trump against Russia; a false-flag provocation elsewhere like in the Baltic Sea to the same end; and/or any serious expansion of Russia's ground campaign beyond the disputed regions. Trump might not be misled by any false flags while Putin might limit the scope of the special operation as a 'goodwill gesture', however, so peace is possible if Zelensky finally agrees to compromise.
Gulf Insider
3 days ago
- Gulf Insider
"Trump Is Not Happy With India Because...": What Ex-Diplomat Said
One of the reasons behind Washington's punitive tariffs on New Delhi is that US President Donald Trump is miffed with India for ignoring his so-called role in brokering a peace deal with Pakistan following the military conflict in May, said former diplomat Vikas Swarup. The former High Commissioner to Canada, who is also a renowned author, described the United States' current relationship with Pakistan as a short-term, tactical arrangement driven largely by financial interests, while stressing that US-India ties remain strategic. In an interview with the news agency ANI, Swarup lauded New Delhi's decision not to cave in to the Trump administration's pressure in trade talks and said US President Donald Trump's tariffs will eventually lead to ratcheting up inflation in America. 'We have to understand why these tariffs have been imposed….One, Trump is not happy with India because we are a member of BRICS…he has got this notion that BRICS is an anti-American alliance which is hell-bent on creating an alternative currency to the dollar…he feels that India should not be a member of the BRICS,' he said during an interview with news agency ANI. The other reason for this, according to Swarup, is New Delhi's refusal to give Trump credit for brokering a peace deal with Pakistan after Operation Sindoor in May. New Delhi has maintained from the beginning that the US played no role in the ceasefire negotiations, as India does not accept external mediation. The truce was mediated directly between the armed forces of both nations at the request of Pakistan's Director General of Military Operations. 'Trump has now said almost 30 times that it was he who got the two countries to stop back from the brink, who stopped a nuclear conflagration in the subcontinent. So, he is miffed that India has not acknowledged his role, whereas Pakistan has not only acknowledged his role but has even nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize,' Swarup said. India had carried out Operation Sindoor in early May in response to the Pahalgam terror attack and carried out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. India had repelled subsequent Pakistani aggression and pounded its airbases. The former diplomat noted India has not caved in to the US pressure in trade talks to provide more access to the country's agriculture and dairy sectors, and Washington is exerting pressure tactics to get India to agree to its maximalist demands. 'This is part of his pressure tactics to get India to sign on the dotted line on the maximalist demands that the US is making with regard to access to our dairy and agriculture, and genetically modified (GM) crops. We have not caved in, and it is also in a way a signal to Russia because he is also frustrated that he has not been able to get President Putin to agree to the ceasefire that Zelensky has agreed to,' he said. Trump and Putin will meet in Alaska on Friday, where Kyiv and its allies are worried the two leaders may try to dictate the terms of peace in the three and a half year war. The former diplomat pointed out that the billionaire American president is a dealmaker, who has 'now made it his unique selling point that he is the peacemaker.' 'Look at the number of conflict situations that he has mediated in, whether it is Thailand and Cambodia, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Armenia and Azerbaijan; he has injected himself into each of those. He feels that the biggest one of these was the India and Pakistan one because these two are nuclear powers. So, from that point of view, Trump feels that he deserves credit,' he said. Swarup pointed out that Barack Obama is the only American President to have received the Nobel Peace Prize, and 'really wants to do one better than Obama'. 'He has made no secret of his longing for that Nobel Peace Prize. He is hoping that if he could not get it for these, if he is able to bring about a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, then that might be his ticket to the Nobel Peace Prize,' he said. According to Swarup, India's foreign policy is not to be blamed for the recent US tilt towards Pakistan. He noted that Islamabad, through lobbying and strategic communications firms, has currently gained greater access to the hallways of power in Washington. 'Pakistan, through some intermediaries, has gotten the ear of the US President, and that is why, two visits by Asim Munir to Washington, the so-called 'deal' with America on the so-called 'oil reserves' of Pakistan,' he said. The former diplomat also pointed towards Pakistan's attempt to position itself as a hub for bitcoin mining. In April, a cryptocurrency venture backed by President Trump signed a letter of intent with Pakistan's crypto council. 'I think Pakistan is now trying to position itself as the 'Crypto King' of South Asia, and there, through World Liberty Financial, in which Trump's family has stakes, Steve Witkoff's (Trump aide and US Envoy to the Middle East) family has a stake, through that I think Pakistan has managed to project an image of itself as a reliable partner…All these things have led to Trump having a softer approach towards Pakistan,' he said. 'But that does not mean that he has given up on India or that India is now an adversary for him. I think this is part of his pressure tactics to secure a more favourable deal. India should not cave in because our strategic autonomy is non-negotiable,' Swarup added. Swarup said that America's ties with India should not be seen through the same lens as its relationship with Pakistan, and Washington and New Delhi's ties are less transactional and more strategic. 'I think the (United States') relationship with Pakistan right now is a very tactical one and is a short-term one, primarily motivated by the financial gain that the Trump family and Witkoff family hope to make from the cryptocurrency assets in Pakistan. With India, I think, the relationship is much more strategic. It is not so transactional as it is with Pakistan. That is why I feel that it is a passing phase. I call it a storm, not a rupture. You just have to wait out the storms. All storms eventually pass,' he said. He added, 'I think it's a strategic mistake on the part of the US that you are getting in bed with Pakistan, which is in bed with China. China is the US' strategic competitor.' Noting that India has done the 'right thing' by not caving in to the Trump administration's pressure in trade talks to provide more access to the country's agriculture and dairy sectors, Swarup has said 'the US called India a 'Tariff King' but now the 'Tariff King' in the world is the United States'. He said the steps being taken by US President Donald Trump will eventually lead to ratcheting up inflation in America. 'The US called India a 'Tariff King'. But now the 'Tariff King' in the world is the United States because our average tariff is about 15.98 per cent. The US tariff today is 18.4 per cent. So, it is now the 'Tariff King' of the world. But the fact is, tariffs are bringing in money. They will bring in about 100 billion dollars a year for the US. But the issue is that eventually, who will pay for these tariffs? By American consumers. So, what's going to happen is this is going to ratchet up inflation in America, it's going to ratchet up prices in America. I think that's when the chickens will come home to roost,' he said. 'If you cave in to a bully, then the bully will increase his demands. Then there will be even more demands. So, I think we have done the right thing. India is too large, too proud a country to become a camp follower of any other country. Our strategic autonomy has been the bedrock of our foreign policy right from the 1950s. I don't think that any Govt in Delhi can compromise on that,' he added. President Trump announced 25 per cent tariffs on Indian goods plus an unspecified penalty in July, even as there were hopes of an interim India-US trade deal that would have otherwise helped avoid elevated tariffs. A few days later, he imposed another 25 per cent tariff, taking the total to 50 per cent, over India's imports of Russian oil. The former diplomat states that Islamabad is rattled by India suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, and Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir has tried to stoke fear of nuclear war because Islamabad always wants external mediation. He noted that Pakistan is heavily dependent on the water of the rivers covered by the Indus Waters Treaty. New Delhi took a string of measures against Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack and put the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance. Referring to recent remarks of Asim Munir, he said Pakistan is deliberately provoking nuclear blackmail just so that it can catch the attention of the world. 'Pakistan is rattled by our putting in suspension the Indus Waters Treaty. Pakistan is heavily dependent on the waters of those rivers…So, what it is threatening is that if India builds a dam, which is not happening immediately, we are going to destroy those dams; we are going to send our missiles and destroy those dams. It is easier said than done…What he (Asim Munir) always tries to stoke is the fear of a nuclear war between India and Pakistan because Pakistan always wants external mediation…They are deliberately provoking nuclear blackmail just so that they can catch the attention of the world…' Vikas Swarup told ANI. India had slammed remarks of the Pakistani Chief of Army Staff during his visit to the United States, in which he had made a nuclear threat.
Gulf Insider
4 days ago
- Gulf Insider
Netanyahu Says He Backs 'Greater Israel'
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has unleashed fresh controversy and anger among Arab countries and leaders by suggesting a huge land expanse of Israel's borders in an interview he gave to i24 News . In the newly published interview he said he is on a 'historic and spiritual mission' and expressed strong attachment to the vision of a Greater Israel, which is a longtime reference to Israel encompasing parts of Jordan, Egypt and Syria – along with the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. It comes on the heels of some hardline Israeli officials and settler groups loudly proclaiming that soon Israeli forces will be in Damascus. This is all based on Biblical concepts of what God is said to have promised the Jews thousands of years interviewer had presented Netanyahu with an amulet featuring what he described as a 'map of the Promised Land' – with the image symbolically depicting the greatly expanded vision of Israel's future. Netanyahu when asked if he feels a connection with this concept of a Greater Israel, responded 'Very much'. The interviewer himself is known to back radical settler ideologies which seek to take land by force from neighboring Arab communities. Among the first regional governments to condemn the remarks has been Jordan. Jordan's Foreign Ministry highlighed the 'Greater Israel' remarks, commenting that it constitutes 'a dangerous and provocative escalation, a threat to the sovereignty of states, and a violation of international law and the United Nations Charter.' The ministry further emphasized 'the need for the international community to act immediately to stop all provocative Israeli actions and statements that threaten the region's stability and international peace and security.' Netanyahu claims he is on a 'historical and spiritual mission' to realize 'Greater Israel' — HatsOff (@HatsOffff) August 12, 2025 Some war monitors fear that the Netanyahu government is in effect already trying to enact this – given that from the start of post-Assad Syria (last December), Israel's military quickly expanded the Golan occupation far beyond, into southern Syria. This is to the point where currently there are reports saying IDF ground forces are a mere dozen kilometers from the outskirts of the capital read: Israel To Take Control Of All Of Gaza, But Netanyahu Claims Not Forever
