Excerpts: Egyptian court opposes returning Red Sea islands to Saudi. Attack
against Syria/Jordan post June 21, 2016

+++SOURCE: Naharnet (Lebanon)21 June ’16:”Egypt Court Quashes Cession of Red
Sea Islands to Saudi”,by Agence France Presse

SUBJECT: Court opposes return Red Sea Islands to Saudi

EXCERPTS::An Egyptian court on Tuesday[21 June] quashed a government
decision to hand over two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia, judicial sources
said, overruling a deal that had sparked public outrage.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced the controversial accord in April
during a visit to Cairo by Saudi King Salman.

A judge told Agence France Presse that the decision by the State Council --
Egypt's highest administrative court -- "cancels the signing" of the deal,
which put two islands in the Straits of Tiran under Riyadh's control.

The handover prompted an outcry from many Egyptians, and sparked protests
against Sisi.

……………….

Tuesday's ruling on the islands deal is not final and may be challenged by
the government.

Lawyer Khaled Ali, who brought the case, told AFP the court's verdict "shows
that the two territories are Egyptian... and cannot be given away".

Saudi Arabia is one of Sisi's main regional backers, and the kingdom has
provided Egypt with billions of dollars worth of aid and investment since
the former army chief took power.

Cairo says the islands had always belonged to Saudi Arabia and that Egypt
had merely administered them while on lease since the 1950s.

Critics accuse Sisi of "selling" the islands in return for Saudi
investments.

SourceAgence France Presse


+++SOURCE: Jordan Times 21 June ’16: “ 6 troops killed, 14 injured in car
bomb attack on Syria border”,by Mohammad Ghazal

SUBJECT: Attack against Syria/Jordan post

QUOTE: “ The terrorist attack Tuesday[21 June] targeted a forward post
dedicated to assisting Syrian refugees”

FUL L TEXT: AMMAN – Six Jordanian troops were killed and 14 others injured
Tuesday [21 June]when a booby-trapped car struck a forward military post at
the no man's land at the borders between Syria and Jordan, the Jordan Armed
Forces-Arab Army said Tuesday.[21 June]

A car bomb struck the military post dedicated for serving and helping Syrian
refugees at the area struck at 5:30am local time, the army said in a
statement on its official Facebook page.

Four border guard members, a member of the Civil Defence Department and
another from the Public Security Department were killed in the terrorist
attack, the army said Tuesday.[21June]

Of the total 14 who were injured, 9 are members of the Public Security
Department, the army said.

"Such a cowardly act will only make the Jordan Armed Forces and the security
bodies more resolute to uproot terrorism and terrorists and their dark
ideologies regardless of their motives for such criminal acts," the army
said in the statement.

Jordan's Minister of State for Media Affairs Mohammad Momani called on media
outlets to exercise accuracy when publishing any details related to the
terrorist attack as well as when it comes to the names of the martyrs.

The minister urged media to get information from official channels.
===============
Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA