It is early days yet, but there seems to be determination on the part of Saudi Arabia and Iran to tackle contentious issues between them in a bilateral manner. Both countries' desire for continued engagement, after the initial talks were hosted by Iraq – as confirmed by President Barham Salih – suggests that de-escalation of tensions and confidence-building measures could be the way forward.
Saudi Arabia and Syria are reportedly talking to each other, too. And although their outreach is independent of the Saudi-Iranian talks, it is natural that one could influence the other. Russia is supposedly playing a role in the Syria talks as Moscow seeks that country's restoration to the Arab League. This is in order for Damascus to attract Arab and international financing for the post-war reconstruction of Syria, while ensuring that Russian interests in the country are maintained.
Another sign that the countries of the Middle East are trying to resolve their differences and conflicts is the gradual improvement in relations between Egypt and Turkey.
Of course, it is too early to say if the region is starting a new chapter in its history. It is also naive for us to believe that the global powers are not involved in these developments. But it isn’t wrong to suggest that a reduced trust in and among some of these powers – notably the US, China and Russia – has contributed to regional players seeking rapprochement with one another.
The Saudi-Iranian talks, in particular, seem to have been triggered by a shared conviction that the US is difficult to rely on.
For the Saudis, the previous Trump administration’s support proved inadequate when its Aramco facility came under attack from the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in neighbouring Yemen. Then, the current Biden administration failed to draw any of the Gulf states into future nuclear talks with Iran, as Washington insisted on separating the issue of Tehran’s nuclear weapons programme from that of its ballistic missiles programme and expansionist behaviour inside weaker Arab countries.
From the Iranian standpoint, trust in the US eroded considerably after former president Donald Trump withdrew his country from the nuclear deal, originally signed in 2015. America’s commitment to any deal it signs in the future is now being questioned and Tehran fears the JCPOA – as it is called – could be repealed again by a future administration, despite President Joe Biden’s stated intention to rejoin it.
Yet none of this means that the differences between the Kingdom and Islamic Republic are not vast. US presence in the region is a contentious issue for Tehran – as much as the Iranian regime’s ideology and proxy wars in the region are for the Arab states. This explains why these talks are supposedly taking place primarily through security channels.
The ongoing civil war in Yemen is the most pressing issue, as that country shares a long border with Saudi Arabia and has a strong presence of Iranian-backed proxy forces threatening Riyadh’s security. The talks are also focusing on bilateral relations, the nuclear deal and the future of Iraq.
Iraqi President Barham Salih called for an international anti-corruption coalition to help track and return funds. AP
The Saudi-Iranian talks seem to have been triggered by a shared conviction that the US is difficult to rely on
There seems to be an understanding between the two countries that Iraq and its security should be immunised from regional differences and that the country should be supported in order for it to play a positive role in the region. That is a positive step.
In a recent conversation, President Salih told me that Iraqi sovereignty is indeed an issue. His vision is for Iraq to become “a sovereign, stable, prosperous country that is a bridge between the various actors in this neighbourhood”, he added. “Iraq should decide the Iraqi issues, Iraqi sovereign issues like the military presence of any foreign country. [This] should be decided by the Iraqi government, by the Commander-in-Chief based on the requirements of Iraq.”
While reiterating that “both the Iraqi side and the United States do not want to see permanent presence of American troops here in Iraq”, Mr Salih also stressed on the importance of maintaining cordial relations with Iran, which is insecure of American security presence in the country. “We seek good relations with Iran. Iran is a vital and important neighbour of ours,” he said, pointing to Iranian support for its fight against ISIS in previous years.
Iraq is not the only country struggling to maintain its independence from Iran. The future of Lebanon is in question, too, with Hezbollah being a particular source of contention. Saudi Arabia has designated Hezbollah as a terror group and sees its role as subversive not only in Lebanon but in Syria and Yemen as well. But the group is integral to Iran’s proxy wars. This possibly explains why Lebanon's future has not been given as much priority by either country in their recent talks.
In truth, Lebanon has inflicted its own isolation upon itself, excluding itself from inter-Arab or Arab-Iranian negotiations in the process. In Iran’s view, Lebanon is just an annex, and in the Arab view, it is perhaps a hopeless case.
Its future, however, can be tied in with that of Syria, at least to some extent. If the Assad regime does manage to return to the Arab League, it should be facilitated in exchange for its respect for Lebanon’s sovereignty. It should refrain from using the border between the two countries to smuggle and loot at the expense of innocent Lebanese. Syria must pledge not to seek to restore its dominance over it.
All in all, it is remarkable that key Arab states are moving forward to shape their own destinies, and to seek the play a mediating role, whether it is with Iran or with Turkey. Time will tell if they succeed.
Raghida Dergham is the founder and executive chairwoman of the Beirut Institute and a columnist for The National
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE) Where: Anfield, Liverpool Live: BeIN Sports HD Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Egypt’s Copts belong to one of the world’s oldest Christian communities, with Mark the Evangelist credited with founding their church around 300 AD. Orthodox Christians account for the overwhelming majority of Christians in Egypt, with the rest mainly made up of Greek Orthodox, Catholics and Anglicans.
The community accounts for some 10 per cent of Egypt’s 100 million people, with the largest concentrations of Christians found in Cairo, Alexandria and the provinces of Minya and Assiut south of Cairo.
Egypt’s Christians have had a somewhat turbulent history in the Muslim majority Arab nation, with the community occasionally suffering outright persecution but generally living in peace with their Muslim compatriots. But radical Muslims who have first emerged in the 1970s have whipped up anti-Christian sentiments, something that has, in turn, led to an upsurge in attacks against their places of worship, church-linked facilities as well as their businesses and homes.
More recently, ISIS has vowed to go after the Christians, claiming responsibility for a series of attacks against churches packed with worshippers starting December 2016.
The discrimination many Christians complain about and the shift towards religious conservatism by many Egyptian Muslims over the last 50 years have forced hundreds of thousands of Christians to migrate, starting new lives in growing communities in places as far afield as Australia, Canada and the United States.
Here is a look at major attacks against Egypt's Coptic Christians in recent years:
November 2: Masked gunmen riding pickup trucks opened fire on three buses carrying pilgrims to the remote desert monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor south of Cairo, killing 7 and wounding about 20. IS claimed responsibility for the attack.
May 26, 2017: Masked militants riding in three all-terrain cars open fire on a bus carrying pilgrims on their way to the Monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor, killing 29 and wounding 22. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.
April 2017: Twin attacks by suicide bombers hit churches in the coastal city of Alexandria and the Nile Delta city of Tanta. At least 43 people are killed and scores of worshippers injured in the Palm Sunday attack, which narrowly missed a ceremony presided over by Pope Tawadros II, spiritual leader of Egypt Orthodox Copts, in Alexandria's St. Mark's Cathedral. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks.
February 2017: Hundreds of Egyptian Christians flee their homes in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, fearing attacks by ISIS. The group's North Sinai affiliate had killed at least seven Coptic Christians in the restive peninsula in less than a month.
December 2016: A bombing at a chapel adjacent to Egypt's main Coptic Christian cathedral in Cairo kills 30 people and wounds dozens during Sunday Mass in one of the deadliest attacks carried out against the religious minority in recent memory. ISIS claimed responsibility.
July 2016: Pope Tawadros II says that since 2013 there were 37 sectarian attacks on Christians in Egypt, nearly one incident a month. A Muslim mob stabs to death a 27-year-old Coptic Christian man, Fam Khalaf, in the central city of Minya over a personal feud.
May 2016: A Muslim mob ransacks and torches seven Christian homes in Minya after rumours spread that a Christian man had an affair with a Muslim woman. The elderly mother of the Christian man was stripped naked and dragged through a street by the mob.
New Year's Eve 2011: A bomb explodes in a Coptic Christian church in Alexandria as worshippers leave after a midnight mass, killing more than 20 people.
How to wear a kandura
Dos
Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
