Lula visits Berlin to reset Germany-Brazil relationship

Oliver Pieper
DW

In his meeting with the Brazilian president, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will welcome a man whose importance as a mouthpiece for the Global South continues to grow.

Olaf Scholz is known as someone who has a plan for everything and everyone. But if the chancellor had one when he traveled to Brazil ten months ago to meet the country's new President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, it didn't work out very well.

A memorable press conference in Brasilia on January 30 was seen by many in the German media as a rebuff to Scholz, after da Silva flatly turned down any military help for Ukraine in the war with Russia.

Before that, Lula had made it abundantly clear that following the years under right-wing populist Jair Bolsonaro, he was indeed the man that German politicians had long been looking for, someone they could see eye to eye with. But as a leader of the Global South, a member of the BRICS states, and also set to chair the G20 in 2024, it was also obvious that Lula had a self-assured agenda of his own.

His position unambiguous: No economic sanctions against Russia, no arms supplies to Ukraine, a reform of the UN Security Council to allow one seat each for Brazil and the African continent, and a free trade agreement between the South American trade block Mercosur and the EU, which would first require compromises from the European Union.

Lula met his BRICS partners Xi, Ramaphosa, Modi and Lavrov (left to right) at a summit in Johannesburg in August

 GIANLUIGI GUERCIA/AFP

First intergovernmental consultations in eight years

At least this time, Scholz knows what to expect when the Brazilian president arrives in the German capital with Cabinet ministers in tow. In addition to a meeting with the chancellor, Lula's visit to Berlin will also include a visit to the parliament representing the German states, or Bundesrat, and an appearance at a German-Brazilian economic forum. But the first government-level talks between the two countries since 2015 (they were put on ice during the Bolsonaro years) are above all a sign that Germany and Brazil hoping to realigning their relations in the coming days.

"The difficult partner in Brasilia" was the title of an article by Brazil expert Oliver Stuenkel in the magazine "Internationale Politik" shortly after the chancellor's visit to Brazil at the beginning of the year. But the political scientist and professor of international politics at the School of International Relations in São Paulo said he would choose a different title to describe this upcoming meeting.

"Lula continues to be a difficult partner, but with an emphasis on partner rather than on difficult," he told DW. "There are certainly points of divergence with the war in Ukraine, and it will not be possible to resolve them entirely. But in the areas of climate, energy, and multilateral institutions, the intergovernmental consultations will be an important step towards closer cooperation."

Brazil and Germany share common interests

Regarding the climate, this means help from Germany to further strengthen the Amazon Fund, which Lula revived to protect the rainforest and promote global climate protection.

On energy, Brazil can hope to entice German companies and their technology with its natural renewable energy resources, such as green hydrogen, rare earths, lithium, wind, and sun. And when it comes to multilateral institutions, Germany and Brazil intend to reform the UN Security Council together with the other two G4 nations, India and Japan.

But according to Latin America expert Claudia Zilla, of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), Brazil's vision of a reformed international order involves more than just gaining a permanent seat on the Security Council.

"While Germany is taking an approach that aims to restore the liberal, rules-based international order, Brazil is advocating for reform, stressing the fact that the international order was, strictly speaking, never entirely liberal or rules-based, for example with the war in Iraq, the war on terror, or the regime change in Libya," she told DW.

A competitor in China

According to a statement on the German Foreign Ministry website, "Brazil is the only country in Latin America with which Germany has had a strategic partnership since 2008. Brazil is Germany's most important trading partner in South America." But there is no such statement on the Brazilian government website, because in recent decades a different country has been investing much bigger sums in Latin America: China.

Today, a quarter of all Brazil's imports and exports are with China, and transactions between the two countries are no longer conducted in US dollars, but in the local currencies, the real and the yuan. "China is buying in incredible quantities and investing a lot," said Zilla. "It is therefore necessary for Germany to offer something of real significance, not in terms of quantity, because that is unfeasible, but in terms of quality. For example, as part of the EU's Global Gateway Initiative (which aims to help developing countries build sustainable infrastructure), or by sharing technology and developing common social and environmental standards."

Fresh start for EU-Mercosur trade agreement?

Both Lula and Scholz were alarmed by the recent victory of Javier Milei in the Argentinian presidential elections, who sharply criticized the free trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur — which comprises Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay and represents a market of 715 million people — and even threatened to withdraw from the South American alliance.

As Lula and Scholz meet in Berlin, this will likely serve as an urgent wake-up call for them to finalize the political deal reached in 2019. For Brazil expert Oliver Stuenkel, the agreement would be a classic win-win situation.

"The environmental movements in Europe that oppose the agreement overlook the fact that the EU, unlike China, prioritizes the fight against deforestation," he said. "It would immensely strengthen Germany's and Europe's presence in Brazil. It would also guarantee the future of Mercosur. And it would be a very important signal for free trade, globalization, and geopolitical integration."

COP28: Brazil proposes global scheme to fund intact forests

Alistair Walsh

DW
December 1, 2023

People in scores of rainforest nations could be paid to preserve forest areas under a concept announced by the Brazilian president. However, it's unclear if the plan will get off the ground.

Brazil's proposal would mean protecting some of the world's most biodiverse places, which are home to unusual species such as this dart poison frog

Al Carrera/Zoonar/picture alliance


Brazil proposed a new global fund to pay countries to keep their tropical forests intact, at the COP28 climate talks in Dubai on Friday.

The proposal called for the creation of a massive global scheme to help preserve rainforests in scores of countries, called the "Tropical Forests Forever" fund.

The concept would pay residents and landowners who help preserve forested areas like the Amazon. According to the proposal, financing would initially be raised from sovereign wealth funds, as well as other investors such as the oil industry.

Rather than calculating their value in terms of carbon, biodiversity or environmental services, the proposed fund would assess forests based on their area, making it much easier to implement.

"For each hectare preserved for a year, an amount would be paid. And for each hectare cleared, there would be a deduction of 100 times that amount," said Tasso Azevedo, who helped draw up the idea, when explaining how it could work.

"It's not just about carbon. Tropical forests provide essential services, such as cooling the planet by 1 degree Celsius," said Azevedo, who also founded MapBiomas, which monitors land use to promote conservation.

 
'A very creative proposal'

Brazilian officials said current funding mechanisms do not protect forests that are not deemed to be at risk. Brazilian Environment Minister Marina Silva said current policies only dissuade loggers from continued deforestation, but don't reward those who protect the forest.

"It's a very creative proposal. We want to create conditions for developed countries to protect the forest without it being charity. They will get a return," said Silva at COP28.

Protecting Brazil's Amazon rainforest, one tree at a time  02:19

Mauricio Bianco, vice president of Conservation International Brazil, welcomed the possibility of a new funding mechanism for rainforests, especially one driven by forest nations.

"It's tackling the climate crisis, it's tackling the major loss of biodiversity, and it's also tackling the social and economic development of the people that live there," Bianco told DW.

"It sends a clear message to the world that these countries are concerned about protecting the forest." He warned that such a fund would have to support Indigenous populations and grassroots organizations that are key to protecting forests.

But it's still uncertain how much support Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva can muster from wealthier nations to fund such a project.
Brazil presents new image

The launch was part of a new image Brazil was showing at climate talks, positioning itself as a global leader on climate change and conservation as well as a multilateral powerbroker.

The move comes after years of climate inaction from Lula's predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, who opened the door to major deforestationin the Amazon.

Brazil renews efforts to fight Amazon deforestation  04:18

In an address at one of the opening events of the COP28 talks, Lula said people were sick of countries not living up to their previous climate pledges.

"The failure to fulfill the commitments made has eroded the system's credibility. We need to restore faith in multilateralism," Lula said.

"No country will solve their problems alone. We are all obliged to act together beyond our borders. Brazil is willing to lead as a role model," he added.

Figures from Brazil show a 22% reduction in Amazon deforestation this year under the Lula administration.

Financing forests

Brazil is home to 60% of the Amazon rainforest, the conservation of which is vital to limiting global warming, as well as ensuring the existence of important plants and animals.

Huge forests, such as the Amazon and the Congo in Africa, help slow climate change by absorbing and storing vast quantities of the planet-heating greenhouse gas CO2. But they are largely located in poorer countries and are frequently cut down for their valuable timber or to make way for grazing land or mining.

In 2021, more than 100 countries pledged to end deforestation by 2030, promising to invest $19 billion (€17.5 billion) in public and private funds to protect and restore forests.

Earlier this year, leaders from the Amazon, Congo Basin and Southeast Asia signed a communique in Brazil calling for a new financial mechanism for the international community to pay for critical forest services.

Across the planet, deforestation increased 4% in 2022 compared to 2021, according to the Forest Declaration Assessment, an independent group that tracks progress on global forest goals. However, it said major rainforest countries such as Brazil, Indonesia, and Malaysia had shown drastic reductions in forest loss.

The group said current financing to stop deforestation efforts fall well short of the required levels, with just $2.2 billion in public funds channeled to forests every year, compared to the $460 billion required.

Brazil already has a track record with financing the preservation of forests. The country's Amazon Fund, backed by Germany and Norway, was revived earlier this year. Brazil also helps to monitor forests outside its borders.

Agriculture without deforestation

Ahead of COP28, Brazil also announced plans to increase Brazil's available agricultural lands by 60% over the next decade without cutting down more forest. Authorities would encourage farmers to restore degraded grazing areas into productive farmland for crops, with backing from domestic financial institutions.

According to the Agriculture Ministry, Brazil has 40 million hectares (99 million acres) of degraded grazing areas that are suitable for crops.

A commitment to oil

But Lula's administration has come under fire for its commitment to producing climate-wrecking fossil fuels.

In January, it is expected to join the OPEC Plus, a group of oil-producing countries that manipulate global oil prices by coordinating reductions or increases in production.

"Joining OPEC and leading the climate agenda are two things that don't fit in the same sentence. Brazil will have to decide," said Marcio Astrini, executive secretary of the Brazil-based network of civil society groups Climate Observatory, in an interview with DW.

And Brazil's state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA is pushing for oil projects in the ecologically sensitive Foz do Amazonas, just one block of which is estimated to contain 5.6 billion barrels of oil. This has caused internal government division and brought criticism from environmental groups.


Brazil suffers from heat, fires ― and floods

Brazil is suffering in extreme weather conditions. While the north and center are experiencing persistent drought and a heat wave unprecedented for this time of year, heavy rainfall in the south has caused severe floods.Image: 

TERCIO TEIXEIRA/AFP/Getty Images

Colorfully cool

It's not even summer yet in the Southern Hemisphere, but large parts of Latin America are already experiencing a severe heat wave. In Brazil, temperatures climbed to over 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) last week. Large crowds have crowded Rio de Janeiro's Praia Vermelha beach, trying to cool off.Image: Buda Mendes/Getty Images

Lula has previously defended his country's continued oil exploration, saying it was in sovereign interests.

But Tzeporah Berman, international program director at Stand.earth and chair of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, said Lula's "claims to be an international climate leader" didn't chime with plans for oil and gas expansion.

"There is still much to be done at home in terms of national public policies to prove his commitment to climate action. This should include a clear indication to stop the expansion of fossil fuel projects, especially in key ecosystems like the Amazon," Berman told DW.

Additional reporting from Nadia Pontes at COP28 in Dubai.

Edited by: Jennifer Collins

COP28: Germany praises efforts to curb methane emissions

Germany said there was a major opportunity to "very quickly" cut down on methane emissions with limited financial means. Meanwhile, Al Gore took aim at COP28 hosts UAE.

Germany welcomed initiatives to reduce methane emissions that have emerged at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai, saying on Sunday that they could quickly make an impact.

Methane is a particularly damaging greenhouse gas, and its effect is 30 times stronger than carbon dioxide.

Unlike carbon dioxide, however, methane gas remains in the Earth's atmosphere for a few decades, rather than several centuries.

This factor makes it a key factor in negotiations, as quickly curbing methane emissions could help in the shorter-term fight against climate change until carbon dioxide emissions can be significantly reduced.
What did Germany say?

Germany has voiced support for initiatives that would curb methane emissions, urging more countries and companies to act.

When it comes to methane, there's a major opportunity to "achieve a great deal very quickly with limited financial resources," Stefan Wenzel, a state secretary in the German Climate Ministry, said at the summit on Sunday.

He praised recent methane measures announced by the United States, as well as a major deal announced by oil and gas sector giants

For Germany, Wenzel said the government's focus is on clamping emissions in the energy sector.

"We are first concentrating on the production of gas and oil," the climate official said, while acknowledging that work needs to be done in the agricultural sector as well, which accounts for the largest portion of methane emissions.
What has been announced on methane?

On Saturday, US President Joe Biden's administration announced final rules that aim to crack down on methane releases in the oil and gas industry.

Separately, 50 oil companies pledged on Saturday to hit near-zero methane emissions and stop flaring — which is the burning of excess methane — by 2030. The companies, which make up nearly half of global oil production, included Saudi Arabia's Aramco, Brazil's Petrobras, as well as Shell, TotalEnergies and BP.

Methane is emitted in the process of extracting oil, coal and gas, with the energy sector coming in as the second-largest source of human-caused methane emissions. The in the energy sector, methane leaks, as well as flaring and venting contribute to worsening climate change.

Technological and operational solutions are already available to largely address the emissions issues, but energy firms have not yet largely implemented them.

Two years ago, the European Union and the United States launched an international commitment to slash methane emissions, called the Global Methane Pledge (GMP). The alliance is set to meet this week during the summit in Dubai.

COP28 launches climate 'loss and damage' fund

A total of 150 countries have joined the GMP, making up over half the methane generated by human activity. Major methane players such as China, India and Russia have not yet joined.



Al Gore takes aim at UAE emissions

Also on Sunday, former US vice president and climate campaigner Al Gore praised the agreement by oil and gas companies to slash methane emissions — but urged for close monitoring to ensure compliance.

"This was a wonderful pledge," Gore said. "But we're going to be measuring whether they comply with this or not."

Gore delivered his message along with independent emissions tracker Climate TRACE, which uses hundreds of satellites and artificial intelligence to monitor emissions around the globe.

In his speech, Gore also took aim at the emissions of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) who are hosting the COP28. He pointed to data showing that the oil-rich kingdom's greenhouse gas emissions rose by 7.5% last year, compared the 1.5% increase for the entire globe.

"The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company still claims to have no emissions from methane or anything else from the transport of oil and gas," Gore said.

"Well, actually, they do. We can see them from space," he said, pointing to massive monitors depicting satellite images.

The UAE is facing increased scrutiny over its contribution to climate change, amid intensified efforts at the COP28 to limit global warming and curb the devastating effects of climate change.

rs/kb (dpa, AFP, AP)

Vietnam reels from historic €11.4 billion corruption scandal

David Hutt

DW
12/01/2023

The largest corruption scandal in Southeast Asia's history has shaken Vietnam's anti-graft drive. Experts have warned that the country's economic stability may be at stake.

The Vietnamese government has been clamping down on widespread corruption

Image: Pascal Deloche/Godong/picture alliance

Vietnam has been rocked by its largest corruption scandal to date after authorities last month arrested a prominent real estate developer over allegedly embezzling nearly €11.4 billion ($12.4 billion), the equivalent of more than 3% of the country's GDP.

In 2016, Vietnam's governing Communist Party began conducting a sweeping anti-corruption campaign. Since then, it has brought down a national president and senior government ministers, but the scale of the alleged graft involved in the latest scandal it uncovered raised questions about the true state of Vietnam's banking and property sectors.
The biggest corruption scandal in Southeast Asian history

On November 17, the Ministry of Public Security alleged that Truong My Lan, the chairperson of real estate developer Van Thinh Phat Holdings Group, had embezzled 304 trillion dong (€11.4 billion) from Saigon Commercial Bank, of which she was a majority stakeholder, over several years.

According to the ministry's statements, My Lan, who was first arrested last year, operated a vast network of more than 1,000 domestic and foreign subsidiaries as well as further shell companies that took out more than €40 billion in loans from the Saigon Commercial Bank, appropriating about a third of it through "ghost companies" she and her family and associates created.

In mid-November, the Ministry of Public Security also recommended the prosecution of a further 85 people, including 24 government officials and associates of Van Thinh Phat Holdings Group and Saigon Commercial Bank.

Days later, the Internal Affairs Commission of the Communist Party's Central Committee recommended opening investigations into another 23 state officials, including 12 from the State Bank of Vietnam, the country's central bank.

It is arguably the largest corruption scandal in recent Southeast Asian history. By comparison, the well-documented 1MDB scandal in Malaysia in the 2010s, which led to Malaysia's dominant party losing power for the first time ever, involved the theft of €4.1 billion from the country's sovereign wealth fund.
Hanoi's anti-corruption campaign

The Communist Party of Vietnam embarked on its "blazing furnace" anti-graft campaign when Nguyen Phu Trong, the party's general secretary, defeated rival Nguyen Tan Dung — Dung was prime minister at the time and seen by many as allowing corruption to thrive.

Ex-Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Anh Dung was taken to court in July 2023

Image: Anh Tuc/AFP/Getty Images

The anti-corruption campaign has resulted in hundreds, if not thousands of party and government officials being dismissed in recent years.

In January, Nguyen Xuan Phuc resigned as state president and two deputy prime ministers were sacked over alleged corruption in the government procurement of coronavirus testing kits and the repatriation of Vietnamese nationals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking this month, after the revelations about the latest scandal, Prime Minister Trong said Communist authorities, "need to conduct the anti-corruption fight faster and in a more efficient manner." He added, "We won't stop here but will continue for the long term."

Officials under the graft spotlight

Tuong Vu, a political science professor at the University of Oregon in the US, said Prime Minister Trong could now have his sights set on some more big-name targets, including the former party boss of Ho Chi Minh City, Le Thanh Hai, who is known as "the most corrupt official in Vietnam."

Hai was the political boss of the southern business hub for decades, and although he was given a wrap on the knuckles in 2020, when the corruption-busters found his committee had engaged in improprieties, he has so far avoided any real punishment for his alleged wrongdoings.

"It is possible that Hai is next. He's also known to be close to former Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, who may still be a target," said Tuong Vu, referring to the political heavyweight whom Trong defeated in 2016.

Indeed, it had been suggested by analysts that Hai and Dung may have been the two richest people in Vietnam at some point in the 2010s thanks to their alleged oversight of vast graft networks in southern Vietnam.

"There is no doubt that more major scandals and arrests are forthcoming," said Michael Tatarski, a journalist living in Ho Chi Minh City who writes about Vietnamese politics in his Vietnam Weekly blog.

"A significant investigation into sand mining is underway," and it appears police are looking closely at the renewable energy sector and Vietnam Electricity, the country's largest power company, he added.

However, there are concerns that the scale of graft now being uncovered is denting economic stability.

Private sector feels the heat

When a number of private sector companies were hit with corruption allegations last year, it was suggested the anti-graft campaign was starting to affect business confidence. Reports leaked in the media claimed local government officials and civil servants were refusing to sign off on much-needed infrastructure investment deals for fear they would later be accused of corruption if the development projects didn't go according to plan.

Is Vietnam set to replace China as the world's factory?  02:55

Nguyen Khac Giang, a visiting fellow at the Vietnam Studies Programme at the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, pointed out that this is not the first significant investigation into a private company, but it is by far the largest.

He says that in 2022, Trinh Van Quyet, chairman of property and leisure company FLC Group and its subsidiary Bamboo Airlines, was arrested on charges of stock market manipulation; while months later, Do Anh Dung, chairman of the Tan Hoang Minh property development group, was detained on suspicion of fraudulent appropriation of assets.

Tran Qui Thanh, chairman of Tan Hiep Phat Group, the country's largest private-sector beverage producer, was arrested in April over alleged misappropriation of assets.

Given what has transpired so far, the latest corruption scandal "might not further deteriorate business confidence in Vietnam, nor instill fear of being investigated," Giang said.

Indeed, other sources have made similar arguments, saying business confidence was more shaken by the first investigations into private sector corruption and that the business community in Vietnam has now become somewhat accustomed to the idea that the Communist Party might be staring over its shoulder.

'Total regulatory failure'

Among the many allegations against Truong My Lan and her associates were accusations that they had bribed investigators for years to get them to overlook Saigon Commercial Bank's financial discrepancies. This includes bribes reportedly paid to the then-chief of the State Bank of Vietnam's Inspectorate and Supervision Department.

"This was a total regulatory failure," said Zachary Abuza, a professor of national security strategy at the US National War College in Washington, who added that it should raise questions about the business practices of other banks, too.

"If Lan could bribe regulators with $5.2 million to overlook non-performing loans and other criminal behavior at [the Saigon Commercial Bank], why not other banks?" Abuza queried.

US, Vietnam upgrade relations  02:10

The latest corruption scandal also raises questions about political stability. Trong, the party chief, has torn up informal agreements on term limits and retirement ages that the Communist Party agreed to in the 1990s.

Trong, 79, is now in his third term in office and seemingly cannot step down as he's unable to find a trusted successor — the reason why he took on a third term in 2021, most pundits say. It remains unclear if he will try to run for a fourth term at the next National Congress in early 2026.

"Anti-corruption has evolved from a means, to an end in itself. Combating corruption is seen as a way to uphold the party's legitimacy," said Giang. "This is the new normal of Vietnamese politics."

Edited by: Alex Berry

'No Thanks' app calls for boycott of Israel-related products

Kathrin Wesolowski

DW

The "No Thanks" app calls on people not to buy products from companies that "support" Israel. Is it a legitimate form of protest — or even antisemitism?

The app appears to work very simply: users can scan the barcode of a product or enter its name, and within seconds they are told to what extent the manufacturer "supports Israel." Then "No Thanks" is displayed — an appeal not to buy certain products. Videos on TikTok and X show that companies such as Coca-Cola and Nescafé are among those listed.

The app was launched on November 13, and has been downloaded over 100,000 times so far, and social media comments suggest people around the world from India to Belgium are interested in the app.

The conflict between Israel and Hamas has escalated drastically since the militant Islamist group Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the European Union, the USA, Germany and other countries, attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking around 240 hostages.

According to the Hamas-led Health Ministry, almost 15,000 people have been killed on the Palestinian side since October 7 as a result of the Israeli bombardment of targets in the Gaza Strip. Since then, many people around the world have positioned themselves as either pro-Israeli or pro-Palestinian or even pro-Hamas. According to social media comments, the "No Thanks" boycott app was mainly downloaded by pro-Palestinian supporters.

The app can no longer be downloaded from the Google Playstore and, as of December 1, there is no version for iOS, i.e. Apple devices. However, the app can still be downloaded in indirect ways.

But who is behind "No Thanks" and what exactly is the aim? And why is the app no longer available in the Playstore?

'I have lost my brother'

According to the app itself, "No Thanks" was developed by Ahmed Bashbash, currently living in Hungary. Contacted by DW, he said he was a Palestinian from Gaza. Bashbash said he lost his brother "in this massacre" and that his sister died in 2020 because she did not receive medical support from Israel in time. "I made it in behalf of my brother and my sister who I lost because of this brutal occupation, and my goal is to try to prevent what happened to me to happen to another Palestinian," Bashbash told DW by email.

He compiled the list of companies that allegedly support Israel with the help of the websites "Boycotzionism" and "Ulastempat." The Boycotzionism website advertises with the slogan "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," which is sometimes interpreted as antisemitic. Some see the phrase as a slogan that denies Israel's right to exist.

The lists of brands that should be boycotted, according to the website operators, include world-famous companies such as Adidas, McDonald's, Chanel, Netflix and Apple, and also represent all kinds of industries, from food to cosmetics to streaming providers. Some companies are on the list because they jointly launched a campaign after October 7 in which they condemned Hamas' terrorist attack on Israel. According to the websites, other companies invest in Israeli start-ups, for example, or finance "the theft of Palestinian territory."

The app tells users whether a particular product is on a boycott listImage: NoThanks
Criticism of Israel's policies or antisemitism?

Bashbash said that he was told the app was banned by Google for including the sentence:

"You can see if the product in your hand supports killing children in Palestine," which was displayed on the home screen of the app.

Experts say this sentence can be interpreted as either critical of Israel or antisemitic. Meron Mendel, director of the Anne Frank Educational Center, told DW that the phrase recalled an antisemitic belief in the Middle Ages that Jews murdered children in order to produce Passover bread from their blood.

Uffa Jensen, deputy director of the Center for Research on Antisemitism, also says that this expression could come close to being accused of antisemitism because it uses the image of Israel as a child murderer.

The other interpretation of the sentence is the fact that children are indeed being killed by Israeli air strikes in Gaza during the current war, said Mendel. Since they are not being murdered intentionally, but are dying in the course of the war, the sentence about a product supporting the killing of children in Palestine can also be seen as a polemical exaggeration — "as a means of emotionalizing," as Mendel put it.

Jensen adds that Hamas also killed Israeli children on October 7. "A sentence like that escapes this context and is then highly polemical," he continues.

The list of boycotted companies spans a wide variety of industriesImage: NoThanks
What is the aim of the boycott?

According to Mendel, the important question is what the exact aim of the boycott is. Since October 7, it has been clear that not everyone is pursuing the same goals: "There are those who want a Palestinian state alongside the Israeli state, and there are those who want the destruction of the state of Israel. The point here is to distinguish between these two groups."

"The means of economic boycott, the individual decision not to buy products, is initially legitimate," Mendel continues. Moreover, the Arab boycott against Israel is not new; it began in the early 1970s. According to Jensen, there is also a minority of left-wing Jews who are critical of Israel and support such campaigns. The boycott is also propaganda against Israel. Overall, it is therefore necessary to differentiate whether it is a call critical of Israel or whether it is antisemitism, says Mendel.

But quite a few social media users in Germany think of the National Socialist call of 1933 "Don't buy from Jews" when they hear such calls for a boycott. But such a comparison could also be seen as historically inaccurate and problematic in itself, as it runs the risk of trivializing National Socialism. "This implies that there was a specific cause for the Nazi boycott of Jews and that non-Jewish Germans and Jewish Germans were two conflicting parties before 1933. That is, of course, historically completely wrong," explains Mendel.

Jensen also finds the connection to National Socialism difficult: "Internationally, there are dozens of other examples of boycott measures." He mentions, for example, the decades-long boycott of South Africa up until the 1990s because of the racial segregation at the time. On the one hand, these calls can be compared, but on the other, sometimes antisemitic ideas are also mixed into calls for a boycott of Israel

Economic damage unlikely

Furthermore, the problem that would arise for Israel as a result of such a boycott would not be economic damage. It is the cultural and scientific boycott that goes hand in hand with it, explains Mendel. "Progressive forces in Israel, in science, in art, in the peace movement, also in Europe and North America, are being marginalized and excluded," he said.

This escalation has also been achieved in part through such measures. On the contrary, the overall aim should be to support peaceful progressive forces on both sides.

In the meantime, Ahmed Bashbash's first goal is to make the app available again in the popular app stores. The app is free and all the profits he makes with it are sent to Palestinian organizations that help the people in Gaza, Bashbash said in his app.

This article was originally written in German.

'Ink me up': Iran tattoo artists aim to leave mark

Tehran (AFP) – Within a flat in northern Tehran, concealed from the public eye, Sean proudly showcases the tattoo motifs crafted by his students, each meticulously etched onto silicon canvases.

Issued on: 03/12/2023 

In the past, said Sean, the owner of the tattoo studio, 'people wanted something small, simple, that no one can see... But now they're saying 'Ink me up''

The 34-year-old opened the studio only eight months ago, aspiring to share the art of tattooing that over the years has largely thrived underground in the Islamic republic.

"All tattoo artists in Iran usually work at home," Sean, using his artistic nickname, told AFP in his studio.

"We risked a lot this year by opening this place and turning it into an academy."

While Iran has not explicitly banned tattooing, conservatives still view the practice as linked with immorality, delinquency and Westernisation.

Yet tattoos have gained popularity in recent years in the country, with many young people proudly displaying their ink in public.

Some have faced arrest for tattoos, including in 2016, when authorities rounded up a "tattoo gang" for allegedly tattooing 'satanic and obscene symbols' on people, as reported by the Tasnim news agency 

Seeing the growing trend, Sean opened other studios in the southeastern city of Kerman and the resort island of Kish.

Now, he has more than 30 students eager to learn the craft, which he describes as a "bottomless art".

"All sorts of people now are doing tattoos," said Sean, who has been a tattoo artist for 17 years.

In the past, he said, "people wanted something small, simple, that no one can see."

"But now they're saying 'Ink me up'."
'Satanic and obscene symbols'

In recent years, some Shiite scholars in Iran have declared that tattoos are not forbidden under Islamic law.

A tattoo artist traces a design on a customer at a tattoo studio in Iran's capital Tehran 

"Tattooing is not forbidden, provided that it does not promote non-Islamic culture," according to the website of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Despite the growing acceptance, there are still some in Iran who frown upon the practice.

In September last year, Iran's volleyball federation said players must cover any tattoos or risk being barred from taking part in the 2022-2023 season.

Several prominent football players faced summons to Iran's sports morality committee in recent years for displaying their tattoos.

In 2019, a Tehran police official said having "visible and unconventional tattoos" may require individuals to undergo a "psychological examination" before obtaining a driver's licence.

Others faced arrest, including in 2016, when authorities rounded up a "tattoo gang" for allegedly tattooing "satanic and obscene symbols" on people, as reported by the Tasnim news agency.

Sean, the owner of a tattoo studio in Tehran, opened the studio only eight months ago, aspiring to share the art of tattooing that over the years has largely thrived underground in the Islamic republic 

Benyamin, a 27-year-old cafe owner, says some people often perceive him as a criminal because of the tattoos covering his torso and back.

"Tattoos are not a crime on their own, but you will be stigmatised as a thug, should something happen," like being arrested, he added.

Sean says he is aware of the conservative societal and cultural perceptions in Iran, aspects he has conscientiously addressed within his studios.

"Women (artists) do tattoos for women, men (artists) do tattoos for men," he said.
'Woman, life, freedom'

In Iran, women with tattoos face more intense scrutiny than their male counterparts, compelled to adhere to a stringent dress code that mandates covering their heads and necks.

In Tehran, numerous tattoo studios showcased designs featuring the slogan 'Woman, life, freedom' -- a rallying cry during nationwide protests sparked by the death in custody last year of Mahsa Amini 

Some even see it as an act of defiance.

In Tehran, numerous tattoo studios showcased designs featuring the slogan "Woman, life, freedom" -- a rallying cry during nationwide protests sparked by the death in custody last year of Mahsa Amini.

A 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, Amini had been arrested in September 2022 for allegedly violating the Islamic republic's strict dress code for women.

Others only see it as a form of self-expression.

"I like tattoos a lot and I wanted to express my thoughts that way," says Sahar, a 26-year-old nurse who has a tattoo on her arm reading "do not be afraid of anything" in Arabic.

But she acknowledges that having tattoos "is likely (to cause problems), especially if you want to work in the public sector".

Sean says he is aware of the conservative societal and cultural perceptions in Iran, saying 'Women (artists) do tattoos for women, men (artists) do tattoos for men' 

Undeterred by the challenges, Kuro, a 24-year-old student at the studio, remains steadfast in her determination to practice her craft.

"Now people are generally more supportive," she said after touching up a Koi fish design etched on a silicon sheet.

She hopes that "as a woman tattoo artist, I will be able to work without restrictions".

PHOTOS © ATTA KENARE / AFP

© 2023 AFP

New doubts over coral, safety at planned Olympic surf venue

Papeete (AFP) – The president of French Polynesia has questioned whether 2024 Olympic surfing can go ahead at the planned site in Tahiti, saying he was concerned about safety and damage to coral from a planned judging tower.

Issued on: 03/12/2023

The existing wooden judging tower in Teahupoo is believed to be unsafe 

© Jerome Brouillet / AFP/File

A construction barge slated to install a new judging tower broke more of the beach's corals in a new test in the French Pacific territory on Friday, which was filmed by environmental groups.

That could leave an old wooden tower as the only space for the judges.

"Today we're breaking coral, and tomorrow we may be endangering people's lives if we use this old equipment," Moetai Brotherson told local broadcaster TNTV on Saturday.

"If there's no solution in the end... we must call into question the survival of the surf contests at Teahupoo," he added.

Brotherson cancelled tests he was supposed to observe as well as the start of construction work on Monday.

And he said that "there's no way we will be able to re-use the old foundations... or the old tower".

Brotherson told AFP that it would not be possible to move the competition to another beach in Tahiti, as Teahupoo was the site originally filed with Olympic authorities as part of France's candidacy.

And it would cost several million euros (dollars) to move the surfing events to a site in metropolitan France.

But Barbara Martins-Nio, the Tahiti Olympics site director, said she was "confident a technical solution exists".

"A new tower and new foundations are the only way," she added -- while acknowledging that "it's true that it's difficult to access the site".

"If we don't manage it, all of us together will have to ask ourselves what happens next," Martins-Nio said.

More than 168,000 people have signed an online petition against the planned aluminium judges' tower, supposed to reach a height of 14 metres (46 feet), while hundreds have protested at the Teahupoo site itself.

It "doesn't make any sense to need such a giant tower for a 2 days event," American surfing legend Kelly Slater posted online last week, calling to "give the money to local infrastructure" instead.

Vai ara o Teahupoo, the main association opposing the new tower, has stopped speaking to the media about the case.

© 2023 AFP

As Dubai hosts climate talks, its air pollution soars

Dubai (AFP) – Dubai's glitzy skyline was obscured by a blanket of smog rated as "unhealthy" on Sunday as thousands of delegates attended a COP28 conference dedicated to the harmful effects of air pollution.

Issued on: 03/12/2023 

About 80,000 people are registered to take part in the biggest edition yet of the UN climate talks in Dubai 

© Giuseppe CACACE / AFP

The air quality index reached 155 micrograms per cubic metre of PM2.5 pollution -- the fine particulate matter that is most harmful, as it can enter the bloodstream -- according to WAQI.info, a real-time pollution tracker.

In "unhealthy" air quality, "everyone may begin to experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects," the website warns.

Hazy conditions have been noticeable over the first few days of the UN's COP28, where negotiators are trying to hammer out a global agreement to reduce emissions and curb climate change.

About 80,000 people are registered to take part in the biggest edition yet of the UN climate talks in the United Arab Emirates, one of the world's biggest oil producers.

Sunday is designated as "health" day at COP28, where topics under discussion include air quality and the unhealthy effects of climate change.

Outdoor air pollution driven by fossil fuel emissions kills more than four million people a year, according to the World Health Organization, as it increases the risk of respiratory diseases, strokes, heart disease, lung cancer, diabetes and other problems.

The damage is caused partly by PM2.5 microparticles, which mostly come from fossil fuels burned in transportation and industry.

COP28 is unfolding about 11 kilometres (seven miles) from the Jebel Ali Power and Desalination Complex, the world's biggest gas-fuelled power station.

Other polluters nearby include Jebel Ali port and Al Maktoum international airport, while about 200 kilometres (124 miles) west lies Abu Dhabi's Bab oil field.

© 2023 AFP

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Smog obscures Dubai skyline on 'Health' day at COP28 climate summit

Dubai's glitzy skyline was obscured by a blanket of smog rated as "unhealthy" on Sunday as thousands of delegates attended the fourth day of the COP28 summit, which was designated as "health" day and where topics of discussion include air quality and the unhealthy affects of climate change.

Issued on: 03/12/2023
People stand in a pod designed to mimic the air quality in New Delhi, India at the COP28 UN Climate Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on December 2, 2023. © Joshua A. Bickel, AP
By:FRANCE 24Follow|FRANCE 24
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​​​​​Hillary Clinton calls for insurance reform at COP28 UN climate talks

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on Sunday for reform of the insurance sector, where companies are increasingly withdrawing assistance against climate shocks.

Lower-income countries and workers in nations most affected by climate change are struggling to access insurance to help protect them from economic shocks.

"We need to rethink the insurance industry," Clinton said during a panel on women and climate resiliency at the summit in Dubai. "Insurance companies are pulling out of so many places. They're not insuring homes. They're not insuring businesses."
COP28 delegates urge greater action on climate-linked health risks

Physicians, activists and country representatives at this year's COP28 summit have called for greater global efforts to protect people from the increasing health and safety risks posed by climate change.

With global temperatures set to continue climbing for decades, experts say countries will need to boost funding for healthcare as heatwaves become more dangerous and diseases like malaria and cholera spread.

Climate-related impacts "have become one of the greatest threats to human health in the 21st century", COP28 president Sultan Ahmed Al-Jaber said in a statement.
Former US vice president Gore takes aim at host UAE's emissions

Armed with satellite images of pipelines, former US vice president and climate champion Al Gore singled out the emissions of the United Arab Emirates at the COP28 talks in the oil-rich monarchy on Sunday.

Gore and Climate TRACE, an independent emissions tracker, had a message in Dubai to countries and industries around the world: no one can hide their emissions anymore.

Using a network of 300 satellites and artificial intelligence, Climate TRACE can now monitor emissions from more than 352 million sites from 10 industries.

Its data showed the UAE's greenhouse gas emissions rose by 7.5 percent in 2022 from the previous year, compared to a 1.5 percent increase for the entire world.

"In large regions of the world, it's very uncommon to have any self-reporting" of emissions, Gore said.

Speaking in the main plenary room of the COP 28 site, Gore pointed to huge monitors showing satellite images of the major emitting sites in the UAE.

Another map showed leaks from pipelines.
Air pollution soars in Dubai on 'Health' day at COP28

Dubai's skyline was obscured by a blanket of smog rated as "unhealthy" on Sunday as thousands of delegates attended the fourth day of the COP28 summit.

The air quality index reached 155 micrograms per cubic metre of PM2.5 pollution -- the fine particulate matter that is most harmful, as it can enter the bloodstream -- according to WAQI.info, a real-time pollution tracker.

In "unhealthy" air quality, "everyone may begin to experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects," the website warns.

Hazy conditions have been noticeable over the first few days of COP28, where negotiators are trying to hammer out a global agreement to reduce emissions and curb climate change.

Sunday is designated as "health" day at COP28, where topics under discussion include air quality and the unhealthy effects of climate change.

Outdoor air pollution driven by fossil fuel emissions kills more than four million people a year, according to the World Health Organization, as it increases the risk of respiratory diseases, strokes, heart disease, lung cancer, diabetes and other problems.

The damage is caused partly by PM2.5 microparticles, which mostly come from fossil fuels burned in transportation and industry.

COP28 is unfolding about 11 kilometres (seven miles) from the Jebel Ali Power and Desalination Complex, the world's biggest gas-fuelled power station.
Suez Canal and Scatec sign $1.1 billion green methanol MoU

Egypt's Suez Canal economic zone and Scatec ASA have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) worth $1.1 billion to supply ships with green fuel, a Suez Canal statement said on Sunday.

The MoU, agreed on the sidelines of COP28, envisages production of 100,000 tonnes of green methanol per year by 2027, the statement said.

Global regulators propose tougher scrutiny of voluntary carbon markets

A global securities watchdog proposed 21 safety measures on Sunday to improve integrity, transparency and enforcement in voluntary carbon markets (VCMs) in a sector of growing importance to efforts to combat climate change.

IOSCO, which groups market watchdogs from Asia, Europe, Latin America and the United States, launched a 90-day public consultation on a set of good practices for national regulators to apply.

"VCMs have gained significant importance in recent years. But for these markets to succeed, they need integrity – both environmental and financial," Rodrigo Buenaventura, chair of IOSCO's sustainable finance taskforce, told an event at COP 28 on Sunday.

VCMs cover pollution-reducing projects, such as reforestation, renewable energy, biogas and solar power, that generate carbon credits companies buy to offset their emissions and meet net-zero targets.

Indonesia and the Asian Development Bank agree to deal to shutter coal-fired power plant early

Indonesia and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have agreed to a provisional deal with the owners of the Cirebon-1 coal-fired power plant to shutter it almost seven years earlier than planned, the ADB's senior climate change energy specialist told Reuters.

The deal, announced during the COP28 talks in Dubai, is the first under the ADB's Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM) programme, which aims to help countries cut their climate-damaging carbon emissions.

Supporting a $20 billion Just Energy Transition Partnership agreed last year that aims to bring forward the sector's peak emissions date to 2030, the ADB hopes to replicate it across other countries in the region.

"If we don't address these coal plants, we're not going to meet our climate goals," ADB’s David Elzinga said on the sidelines of the conference.

"By doing this pilot transaction, we are learning what it takes to make this happen," Elzinga said. "We're very much shaping this as something we want to take to other countries."

ADB also has active ETM programmes in Kazakhstan, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Vietnam, and is considering transactions in two other countries, it said.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP & Reuters)

Tears and tight restrictions in Gaza protest at COP28

Dubai (AFP) – Teary-eyed, keffiyeh-wearing activists protested Israel's bombardment of Gaza at the UN climate talks in the UAE Sunday -- a tame but rare display in a country where demonstrations are banned.

Issued on: 03/12/2023 

Activists at the COP28 summit display a banner during a demonstration demanding a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war 

© Jewel SAMAD / AFP

Hindered by UN restrictions preventing them from raising Palestinian flags or chanting certain slogans, more than 100 activists in a COP28 "Blue Zone" venue, managed by the world body and not local authorities, demanded a Gaza ceasefire.

"We say to the Palestinian people that the international community may have forgotten you, but you are not alone," said Asad Rehman, lead spokesman for the Climate Justice Coalition.

"Free Palestine," he told a sobbing crowd that echoed his chant before they were shushed because of UN guidelines prohibiting the naming of states, leaders or companies in activist actions within the COP venue.

Sunday's solidarity gathering, the largest yet, still pales in comparison to mobilisations that have swept other parts of the world since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7.

But it stands out for the United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven sheikhdoms, which bans protests and prohibits speech that is deemed to create or encourage social unrest.

With activist actions kicking off on Sunday, the fourth day of the climate talks, it was not the Emirati authorities that tightened the protest space, but strict UN guidelines that governed previous COPs.

Activists listen to a roll-call of names of Palestinians the Hamas-run health ministry says have been killed in the Gaza war 

© Jewel SAMAD / AFP

Organisers had to request permits, identify action zones and appeal for approval for banners, slogans and chants -- some of which were banned.

"We were not allowed to name states or raise (Palestinian) flags," said Abderraouf Ben Mohamed of the Debt for Climate group, prompting activists to rely on the watermelon -- a symbol of the pro-Palestinian movement -- as a way to bypass restrictions.
'Insensitive'

Damian Godzisz, a staff member in the UAE's COP28 team, said he was told to remove a Palestinian flag and keffiyeh scarf attached to his bag at the security check to the Blue Zone.

"I find it insensitive that while other nations can display their national attire, the Palestinian flag and keffiyeh are restricted," he said.

Hamas militants from Gaza launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 240 hostages, according to Israeli officials.

In response, Israel vowed to destroy Hamas and began an air, sea and ground offensive that has killed more than 15,500 people, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Hamas government.

The war has cast a long shadow over the climate talks in Dubai, and has deeply impacted the Palestinian Authority's (PA) COP28 delegation, which had been upbeat about its first-ever COP pavilion.

Participants react as the list names of names is read out 

© Giuseppe CACACE / AFP

Only 10 representatives managed to fly out for the event, with most cancelling their participation, Hadeel Ikhmais, a climate expert with the PA, told AFP.

"It was really tough for us to come here, and up to the last-minute we were reconsidering our participation," said Ikhmais, who had to embark on a nearly 11-hour journey stymied by checkpoints from her home in Bethlehem to Jordan's airport to catch a flight to Dubai.
'Killed in cold blood'

"What does climate justice mean, what does international law mean, when Palestinians are killed in cold blood and the world is just watching?" Ikhmais asked.

"I want to go back. Honestly, we are counting the days just to go back home."

The activists chant slogans demanding a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war © Jewel SAMAD / AFP

At the Israeli pavilion, just a few metres (yards) away, a book of posters of those held hostage by Hamas was put on display beside a large banner that read: "Bring them home now."

Maya Kadosh, Israel's national coordinator for COP28, sported a dog tag carrying the same message and said she sensed bias among activists attending the climate conference.

"I wish they would understand the Israeli suffering," she told AFP.

"They stand for human rights, but as long as the people are not Jewish," Kadosh said.

"I think if people want really to help free Palestine and free the people of Palestine, they should help the people of Palestine get free from Hamas."

Israel had been planning a 1,000-strong representation at COP28, but the war reduced that figure to around 100, including some 30 officials with the government delegation, she said.

© 2023 AFP

ICC prosecutor vows to 'further intensify' Gaza probe

The Hague (AFP) – The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court vowed Sunday to step up efforts to investigate alleged war crimes, as he wrapped up a visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories.

Issued on: 03/12/2023

Khan met Palestinian president Abbas in Ramallah 

© Thaer GHANAIM / PPO/AFP

Karim Khan stressed his visit was "not investigative in nature" but said he was able to speak to victims on both sides of the conflict.

More than 15,200 people have been killed in the besieged Palestinian territory of Gaza, according to Islamist group Hamas, in more than eight weeks of combat and heavy bombardment.

"My office will further intensify its efforts to advance its investigations in relation to this situation," Khan said.

"Credible allegations of crimes during the current conflict should be the subject of timely, independent examination and investigation."

Opening its doors in 2002, the ICC is the world's only independent court set up to probe the gravest offences including genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

It opened an investigation in 2021 into Israel as well as Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups for possible war crimes in the Palestinian territories.

Khan has previously said this investigation now "extends to the escalation of hostilities and violence since the attacks that took place on October 7, 2023".

But ICC teams have not been able to enter Gaza or investigate in Israel, which is not an ICC member.

The war broke out when Hamas militants burst through Gaza's militarised border into Israel on October 7 and killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, while also taking around 240 hostages, according to Israeli authorities.

Khan said he witnessed "calculated cruelty" at the sites attacked by Hamas.

Those attacks "represent some of the most serious international crimes that shock the conscience of humanity, crimes which the ICC was established to address".

He also emphasised that "the manner in which Israel responds to these attacks is subject to clear legal parameters that govern armed conflict".

Acknowledging that conflict in densely populated areas such as Gaza was "inherently complex", international humanitarian law must still apply, Khan said.

Legal experts have told AFP that both Hamas and Israel could face war crimes charges over the conflict.

Five countries called in mid-November for an ICC investigation into the Israel-Hamas war, with Khan saying his team had collected a "significant volume" of evidence on "relevant incidents".

Khan also called for humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza and not be seized by Hamas.

"All actors must comply with international humanitarian law. If you do not do so, do not complain when my office is required to act," he warned.

© 2023 AFP

Essequibo referendum: Is Venezuela about to seize part of Guyana?

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is organising a referendum on Sunday to decide whether to create a new state in the Essequibo territory, an area currently under the control of neighbouring Guyana. Does Caracas have the means for its territorial ambitions, or is it just political grandstanding?


Issued on: 03/12/2023 -

A couple walks in front of a mural of the Venezuelan map with the Essequibo territory included, in Caracas, Venezuela on November 29, 2023. 

© Matias Delacroix, AP

By:Sébastian SEIBT
FRANCE24

On December 3, Venezuelans vote for or against the creation of a new Venezuelan state in the Essequibo region. In the eyes of Venezuelan authorities, it is a "consultative" referendum designed to put an end to over 200 years of territorial conflict.

However, there is one big problem: the land Venezuela wants to potentially extend control over is recognised by the international community as a part of neighbouring Guyana – a sparsely populated country with some 800,000 inhabitants.

The issue has become an obsession for populist President Nicolas Maduro, who often repeats the phrase "El Essequibo es Nuestro" [The Essequibo is ours] in his speeches.

Among four other questions, the referendum asks citizens whether they favour "the creation of the Essequibo state and the development of an accelerated plan for comprehensive care for the current and future population of that territory".

The outcome of the vote is hardly in doubt according to French daily Le Monde, which reported Thursday that the referendum "will take place without observers" and that no one dared to campaign for the "no" vote.

This situation is causing concern for Guyana's leaders. Caracas is threatening to deprive its eastern neighbour of more than half of its territory and to make the approximately 200,000 inhabitants of Essequibo Venezuelan citizens.

"The long-term consequences of this referendum could be Venezuela's de facto annexation of a region which covers 160,000 square kilometers, a significant portion of Guyana [215,000 km²]," says Annette Idler, associate professor at the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford and a specialist in international security.

On top of significant gold, diamond, and aluminium deposits, the Essequibo has become an offshore paradise for oil and gas interests. Since Exxon discovered hydrocarbon deposits off the coast, black gold has given an unprecedented boost to the economy, raising Guyana's GDP by no less than 62 percent in 2022.

© Guillermo Rivas Pachecor, Paz Pizarro, Jean-Michel Corbu, Patricio Arana, AFP

Writing in 2015, an American specialist in Latin America, Jose de Arimateia da Cruz, argued the discovery of these underwater oil reserves "strengthened Venezuela's determination to support its territorial claims on this region".

The Venezuelan government has been particularly angered by Exxon’s choice to negotiate exclusively with the Guyanese government, suggesting that the US oil giant recognised Guyana's sovereignty over these waters and the Essequibo region.
A territorial dispute dating back to 1811

The territorial dispute over Essequibo dates back to the colonial era. In 1811, when Venezuela proclaimed its independence, it believed the region was part of its territory. Despite the claims, the United Kingdom, which occupied the territory of present-day Guyana, placed the region under the authority of the British crown. In 1899, an arbitration court ruled in favour of the UK, even though the United States had supported Caracas.

The dispute resurfaced in 1966 when Guyana gained independence. The Geneva Agreement, signed by the UK, Venezuela, and British Guiana, urged countries to agree to a peaceful resolution through dialogue, but Guyana has since sought a resolution through the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – a procedure which Venezuela rejects.

If the Venezuelan government is pushing for a referendum now, it is partly "because the International Court of Justice declared itself competent in April to settle the dispute", says Idler.

Maduro does not want to recognise the ruling of the ICJ – a branch of the UN with nonbinding legal authority. He even called on United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to mediate between Venezuela and Guyana.
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro casts his vote during a consultative referendum on Venezuelan sovereignty over the Essequibo region, controlled by neighbouring Guyana, in Caracas on December 3, 2023. © Venezuelan Presidency via AFP

There is also – perhaps most importantly – a domestic political element to the referendum. "We must not forget that the presidential election takes place in a year, and Nicolas Maduro is trying to rally support around him by playing to the national sentiment of voters," explains Idler.

By presenting himself as the champion of nationalism, "he puts the opposition in a delicate position", she adds. What's more, "some observers believe he could escalate the situation with Guyana to declare a state of emergency and cancel the presidential election if necessary".

Faced with the Venezuelan threat, Guyana is relying heavily on international law. A case was referred to the ICJ on October 3 to prevent Caracas from proceeding with its referendum.

On Friday, the ICJ called on Caracas to take no action that would modify the disputed lands – but it did not mention the referendum.

Is Maduro bluffing?

The risk is that Venezuela may want to take advantage of international attention being focused on two major conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. Venezuelan troops are already on the border with Guyana "carrying out anti-illegal mining activities", reports the Financial Times.

If Venezuela were to genuinely attempt to annex Essequibo, "it could destabilise the entire region", says Idler. Countries like Brazil or Uruguay could be forced to choose sides in this territorial conflict.

But the annexation threat could also be a bluff. Venezuela may not have the means to seize the territory, says Idler. “The authorities exercise limited control over the border regions from where Caracas would need to launch troops to take possession of this region."

Venezuela's president knows that such a move would prompt the United States to reimpose the sanctions that Washington has just lifted on oil exports, says Idler. Economically very fragile, Venezuela may think twice before taking such a risk.

Regardless of how the roughly 20 million eligible Venezuelans vote, little will change in the short term – the people of Essequibo are not voting, and the referendum is nonbinding.

Either way, says Idler, Maduro can hardly afford to act on his nationalist impulse.

"He will then have to choose between discrediting himself in the eyes of voters and facing new American sanctions."

This article was translated from the original in French.

Venezuela holds referendum on oil-rich region in dispute with Guyana

Caracas (AFP) – Venezuelans began voting Sunday in a referendum that the government hopes will strengthen its century-old claim to the oil-rich Essequibo territory controlled by neighboring Guyana.


Issued on: 03/12/2023 - 

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro speaks at a December 1 rally in Caracas ahead of a referendum he hopes will bolster Venezuela's claim to the oil-rich Essequibo territory controlled by neighboring Guyana

 © Pedro Rances Mattey / AFP/File

"Essequibo is ours!" say posters plastered on walls lining the streets in Caracas, part of an intensive campaign by the government of President Nicolas Maduro, who is seeking re-election next year.

"We are convinced that Essequibo is ours. It has always been ours," said Mariela Camero, 68, who voted in a working-class area of Caracas.

Voting started at 6:00 am (1000 GMT) and was to end at 6:00 pm (2200 GMT), with results expected in the early hours of Monday morning.

The Maduro government has said it is not seeking justification to invade or annex the huge territory, as some in Guyana, a former British colony, fear.

And regardless of the outcome of the vote by around 20 million eligible Venezuelans, little will change in the short term: The people of Essequibo are not voting, and the referendum is nonbinding.

Venezuelans marching in support of the Essequibo referendum in Caracas on December 1 © Pedro Rances Mattey / AFP/File

But tensions have been rising since Guyana took bids in September for several offshore oil exploration blocks, and after a major new find was announced in October. Its petroleum reserves are similar to those of Kuwait, with the highest reserves per capita in the world.

Meanwhile, Maduro's government has sharpened its rhetoric and conducted military exercises in the area.

Guyana's President Irfaan Ali said Sunday that the government was working to protect the country's borders and keep people safe.

"I want to assure Guyanese that there is nothing to fear over the next number of hours, days, months ahead," Ali said in an address carried on Facebook, as people formed human chains dubbed "circles of union" to show their attachment to Essequibo.

"Our first line of defense is diplomacy, and that we are in a very, very strong position in this first line of defense," the president said.

Venezuela has claimed the huge territory of Essequibo for decades -- even though its 160,000 square kilometers (62,000 square miles) represent more than two-thirds of Guyana, and its population of 125,000 is one-fifth Guyana's total.

Caracas contends that the Essequibo River to the east of the region is the natural border between the two countries, as declared in 1777 under Spanish rule, and that Britain wrongly appropriated Venezuelan lands in the 19th century.

Guyana, however, asserts that the border was set in the British colonial era and was confirmed in 1899 by a court of arbitration. It says the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN's top judicial body, has validated this finding.

Guyana has asked the ICJ to block the referendum, saying it amounts to a violation of international rights, but in vain.

On Friday, the ICJ called on Caracas to take no action that would modify the disputed lands -- but it did not mention the referendum. And Caracas had vowed to go ahead regardless.

A woman in Caracas shows support for a referendum over the oil-rich Essequibo region, claimed both by Venezuela and Guyana 

© Pedro Rances Mattey / AFP

Five questions

The referendum Sunday covers five questions, including proposals for the creation of a Venezuelan province to be called "Guyana Essequibo," giving the inhabitants Venezuelan citizenship, as well as a call to reject the ICJ's jurisdiction.

A mural in Caracas urging support for the Essequibo referendum 

© Federico PARRA / AFP/File

The Maduro government expects an overwhelmingly positive result, strengthening its claim.

Opposition politicians, most of whom also support the claim, have generally been reticent about the referendum.

But Maria Corina Machado, who hopes to oppose Maduro in next year's presidential elections, has called the referendum a "distraction," saying that it should be suspended and that sovereignty is not something a government should ask about -- "you just exercise it."

Maduro has mobilized his party and senior members of his government in a vigorous campaign for a resounding "yes" vote.

© 2023 AFP

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Search results for GUYANA 

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