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by Xinhua writer Zhang Xu
CAIRO, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Bickering prevailed the news headlines for the Middle East in the week that ended on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016, as Iran denounced the United States on extending sanctions, while Turkish people argued whether to adopt a presidential system. Aleppo fighting, abidingly, stood out with endless casualties and crisis.
U.S. TO EXTEND SANCTIONS, IRAN TO RESPOND
The U.S. Senate Thursday voted without objection to extend the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) for 10 more years, which had been endorsed by its House of Representatives, and has still to be signed by the U.S. president to become a law.
Iran's responses were triggered immediately, with a tough and unbraiding tone.
"The recent decision by the U.S. to extend sanctions against Iran runs counter to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)," said Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi.
He also said the move is against the U.S. obligations under international law on non-interference in domestic and international relations of other countries.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Nov. 23 that if the U.S. renews the ISA, the Islamic republic will "definitely" react.
The ISA was first adopted in 1996 to sanction Iran over its controversial nuclear program.
In July, 2015, Iran and six world major countries, namely the U.S., Britain, China, Russia, France and Germany, reached an agreement on the Iranian nuclear issue that puts Iran on the path of sanctions relief but more strict limits on its nuclear program.
CLAMOR OVER PRESIDENTIAL SYSTEM IN TURKEY
Whether to replace the current parliamentary system with a presidential one has been argued over throughout Turkey.
The move, pushed by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), was strongly rejected by opposition parties and deeply worried about over its possible consequences.
"What if the person who has all the power drags the country into a disaster?" main opposition CHP's leader Kilicdaroglu demanded.
"The person" surely indicated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's first president elected by popular vote, who has often been criticized for his lust for power.
It is widely argued that Erdogan seeks to obtain a legal shield through a shift to the executive presidency, as he knows he will have to face heavy charges in court should he lose power.
"This system may further endanger the integrity of Turkey which already has some major ethnic and religious fault lines," observed Bican Sahin, president of the Ankara-based Freedom Research Association.
The adoption of the presidential system would not only aggravate the already very high polarization in society, but could also risk disintegrating the nation, some fear.
"We will not allow anyone who is in favor of a dictatorial regime rather than democracy to go ahead," Kilicdaroglu stressed. "You can't introduce such a presidential system in this country without shedding blood."
Ismail Hakki Pekin, a former general who headed the intelligence unit of the Turkish General Staff, warned "a civil war in Turkey" would be worse than the one the former Yugoslavia suffered, which got dismembered following a civil war in the 1990s, in which tens of thousands of people were killed.
OVER HALF REBEL-HELD PARTS OF ALEPPO LIBERATED
Syrian government forces are now in control of over half of the rebel-held areas in eastern Aleppo city in northern Syria.
Thousands of civilians have fled to government-controlled areas in western Aleppo, following the advance of the Syrian army.
Some civilians accused rebels of previously preventing them from leaving Aleppo. They also spoke of hunger they have been suffering from over the past four months.
On Saturday, the Syrian army urged displaced civilians to return to areas that have recently been retaken by the army.
The government has started the rehabilitation process in areas the army captured in the rebel-held part east of Aleppo, according to state news agency SANA.
The International Committee of the Red Cross had said at least 30,000 people have fled rebel-held areas in the past week, while countless others might have escaped in other directions.
FATAH ELECTIONS, ABBAS RE-LECTED
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah Party congress, held in the West Bank city of Ramallah, voted on Saturday to elect new leadership, and the results will be declared on Sunday.
"After declaring the final results, President Abbas will meet with the new elected members," said Abu al-Heija, the congress spokesman.
The 1,400-member congress re-elected on Tuesday Abbas as the chairman of the group.
THE WEEK AHEAD
Blood amid conflicts, which have flowed through Middle East history for so long, seem to continue dominating news headlines on the region in the week starting Dec. 4, 2016. The U.S. final say on the ISA and Iran's real responses are also expected in the coming week, when violence is to continue in Syria, Iraq, Libya and Yemen. Enditem
