Excerpts: Israeli burkini makers. Emerging Tokyo plans. U.S ,Russia 'grave
differences' re Syria. Syrian opposition seeks transitional govt body
September 04, 2016

+++SOURCE: Al Arabiya News 4 Sept.’16:”French uproal creates opportunity for
Israeli burkini makers”,byAssociatd Press

SUBJECT: Israeli burkini makers

QUOTE:”France’s burkini controversy is boosting the bottom line for Israeli
makers of modest women’s swimwear.” (AP)

FULL TEXT:France’s burkini controversy is boosting the bottom line for
Israeli makers of modest women’s swimwear.The country, home to large
populations of conservative Jewish and Muslim women, has cultivated a local
industry of modest swimsuits, and the full-body outfits that have caused
uproar in France have been a common sight on Israeli beaches for several
years.

Marci Rapp was among the first to enter the industry after she moved to
Jerusalem from Toronto in 2008. The warm Mediterranean climate presented a
fashion challenge because she keeps her arms and legs covered, in keeping
with Jewish rules of modesty.“I had nothing to wear,” she said. “I couldn’t
find something that was suitable for me to feel comfortable when I was more
covered.”

Rapp started the MarSea Modest swimwear company, which sells dresses,
shorts, shirts and head coverings made of lightweight, chlorine-resistant
Italian fabric, sewn in Tel Aviv. Business has grown at least 10 percent a
year since she started, she said, in part due to her energetic sales
tactics - such as handing out flyers to women wearing drenched long skirts
at the beach.

Only a few of her clients are Muslim, Rapp says, because they require more
conservative swimwear than she offers. The burkini, coined by an
Australian-Lebanese designer about a decade ago, covers the head, torso and
limbs with lightweight swim fabric. Rapp’s swimsuits do not include hoods,
which most observant Muslim women prefer, and many of her styles do not
reach to the wrists and ankles.

Nevertheless, Rapp said the burkini controversy has drawn attention to her
company, which she runs out of her Jerusalem living room, and has bumped her
sales by a few percentage points, though she declined to provide sales
figures. Her swimsuits sell for about $100.

Rapp said she was baffled by the decision of several French towns to ban
full-body swimwear. The ban was later overturned by France’s top court, the
Council of State. As a result, the ban is likely to be lifted across France,
but only once a legal challenge is brought to the local courts of each of
the 30 or so French municipalities affected.

“What does a woman do in France who wants to cover up for sun protection or
who wants to cover up some scarring, or if she is a little overweight and
she doesn’t want to wear a bikini?” she asked. “It doesn’t make any sense
that they are banning a specific type of modest swimwear. It’s very racist
to me.”

Itay Yaacov, a journalist at the fashion site Xnet, estimated that over the
last decade, about a dozen Israeli companies have begun making modest
swimwear. The outfits have become a global trend, he added, saying even
secular women have begun pairing long sleeved shirts with bikini bottoms.
Most Israeli companies are small and cater to the local market, he said.

But some have greater reach. Anat Yahav started the SunWay company to make
UV-protective clothing for children in 1998 with headquarters north of Tel
Aviv. Then, she said, Muslim customers asked her to make an adult model with
long sleeves, legs and hoods. Finally, Jewish women chimed in and requested
short-sleeved and three-quarter length dresses and pants. Today, Yahav runs
three company shops in Israel and exports worldwide via her site, Amazon and
distributors in Greece, Germany, New Zealand and the United States.

Yahav said the uproar in France increased her sales and gave her a sense of
pride at Israeli acceptance of the conservative swimwear. She boasted that
she has never had a case where a customer was kicked out of a pool for
covering up.“Finally we are the normal ones,” she said with a chuckle.

Sahab Nasser sells SunWay burkinis at her lingerie shop in Tira, a mostly
Muslim town in central Israel. She said she sold burkinis for four years
before she finally bought one so she could accompany her three-year-old
daughter in the pool. It has been life-changing for her and other Muslim
women, she said, because previously they would stay out of the water while
the men and children in their families would go swimming.

“The burkini has let (Arab women) go to the beach, spend quality time with
the family, to go to mixed gender pools, to swim with their families and
feel comfortable, without criticism,” she said. “Who said the bikini is the
right look for the beach
:

+++SOURCE: Al Arabiya 4 Sept.’16:Time for Japan to get more involved in the
Middle East,’ says MP Taro Kono
Prominent Japanese politician Taro Kono gives an exclusive interview to
Editor-in-Chief Faisal J. Abbas as Saudi officials visit Tokyo. (Reuters)

By Faisal J. Abbas Al Arabiya EnglishFriday, 2 September 2016

Dubai, UAE - Anyone familiar with Japanese politics would know that MP Taro
Kono never shies away from swimming against the tide, whenever needed. This
Japanese Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) member has famously opposed the
government nuclear policy, plans for nuclear fuel and building new stations.
He also supports an amendment of the Japanese Constitution, which allows the
self-defense forces to engage in warfare and “conflicts with the official
position” on the issue of US Marine Corps Air Station in the Okinawan City
of Futenma. In fact, so different are his views that the Wall Street Journal
labelled him a “LDP Rebel with a Cause” in a profile piece about him
published in 2011.

There is also another aspect to this politician. By Japanese standards, he
is uniquely internationally-minded. Despite a long history of tensions with
South Korea, he was the only lawmaker in his country to have had a Korean
version on his official website. Korean interns regularly work with him and
he maintains interesting views on the future of relations with both Korea
and China.

More interestingly, Kono has a deep-rooted and genuine interest in Middle
Eastern affairs. When I visited his office at the Japanese Parliament last
year, I was fascinated to see that he possesses more books about the Arab
world than I do. He almost always has an intern working at his office who
hails from the Middle East, and speaks Arabic. He has visited a number of
Arab countries including Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Currently, a senior Saudi delegation, led by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad
bin Salman, is in Tokyo as part of a high-profile Asian tour, which will
conclude next week at the G20 Conference in China. The delegation has signed
MoUs, business deals and has been engaging in cultural diplomacy activities
in a bid to strengthen the Kingdom’s alliances in the East.

MP Taro Kono is scheduled to meet with Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Crown Prince
Mohammad bin Salman, who is also the country’s defense minister and the
architect of Vision 2030; an ambitious reform plan which aims to balance the
kingdom’s financial sheets, end the reliance on oil by diversifying the
economy, open-up the country and improve the standards of living of Saudi
citizens.

Mr. Kono has agreed to answer a few questions via email prior to his meeting
with Prince Mohammad. Having been the chief cost-cutter for Japan’s national
budget for over a decade, and a Minister for Administrative Reform, the
meeting with Prince Mohammad is expected to be fruitful, considering that
Mr. Kono says that he understands how hard Riyadh is trying to transform its
role and streamline the budget.

“We hope to share our experience and work together,” he says. Contrary to
the mainstream political views in Japan, Mr. Kono believes that his country
should take in Syrian refugees and be "more politically involved in the
Middle Eastern affairs.”

Furthermore, Mr. Kono (who has served as Chairperson of the National Public
Safety Commission under current PM Abe) believes Japan and Saudi Arabia can
cooperate in areas such as combatting terrorism, particularly given the
Japanese security emphasis in the build up to the 2020 Olympics, which his
country will host.

This, of course, goes hand-in-hand with Saudi Arabia leadership of the
Riyadh-based coalition of more than 30 countries called the Islamic Alliance
to Fight Terrorism (IAFT), which Prince Mohammad oversaw the formation of,
with the objective to defeat international violent extremism militarily,
ideologically, financially and electronically.

Complete transcript of the interview:
- Al Arabiya English: In December last year, you went on record saying that
Japan needs an integrated immigration policy to cope up with its shrinking
policy, or risk losing to China in competition for vital foreign workers. To
what extent is the Japanese society willing to accept an influx of foreign
workers? And do you think the society would have a preference for or against
Arab immigrants?

TK: Japan is fast losing its population, and its birth rate is still around
1.4, which means unless Japan allows immigration, it cannot sustain its
economy. Immigration, however, is still a very touchy issue in Japan.

Although many Japanese people might be skeptical about accepting immigrants,
and the official government policy still denies foreign workers, in reality,
there are many foreign workers, or cheap foreign workers to be exact,
already in Japan. Many Chinese and South East Asians have come as “trainees”
and many Japanese-Peruvians and Japanese-Brazilians have been admitted under
the pretext of having the Japanese blood. They are, nonetheless, nothing but
cheap workers. Without them we will not be able to build facilities
necessary for the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020 and the lettuce and cabbage
will go rotten in the field.

If, or when, Japan is to open up for immigrants, what matters most is the
language capability. We have learned that hard way. In the 1980s many
Japanese descendants came from South America to work in factories in Japan.
They all had the Japanese blood but most of them were not able to speak the
language. They were not able to assimilate into the society. It is not the
blood that matters, but the language.

Japan today is non-religious country, or the Japanese people are not
religiously dedicated. Many Japanese have their wedding in the Christian
church, most funerals in Japan are held with the Buddhist monks. The
Japanese kids believe in Santa Claus and every town has a Shinto shrine
where people enjoy the Shinto festivals. Even Halloween and St. Valentine’s
Day are celebrated by young Japanese. When you talk about the word
“religion” in Japan, you need to understand the same word probably means
very different culturally from your country. That is something both the
Japanese society and a foreign immigrant need to understand and work
together to overcome.

So anyone who can speak or is willing to speak the Japanese language and
understands the Japanese idea about religions should be welcome.

- Al Arabiya English: Workforce aside, Japan has made negative headlines
with regard to its position which doesn’t favor bringing in Syrian refugees.
This position is strange coming from a major country which is both well-off
and in need of immigrants. What are your thoughts on this and what can be
done to convince the Japanese to do more for Syrian refugees?

TK: It is true that Japan has not accepted many refugees. I believe this
needs to be changed. The Japanese society needs to change so that we can
accept immigrants or refugees as new members of the community.

- Al Arabiya English: There is a major Saudi delegation visiting Japan at
the moment, and you have been to the kingdom on several occasions and you
have said that Japan is seeking multilayered relations. What are the points
on your agenda for the upcoming meeting in Tokyo and how do you see
Japanese-Saudi relations developing and working together to resolve regional
issues?

TK: As said earlier, Japan is religiously very neutral; there are almost no
Muslims and Jews, and the Christian population is about 1%. Japan sells no
weapon systems to anybody on this planet. Japan has had a very good
relationship with the United States. The Japanese economy depends on the oil
and gas from the Middle East. So Japan can be an honest broker in the
Palestine peace process and can agree to disagree with the United States.

It is time for Japan to be politically more involved in the Middle Eastern
affairs and play an independent role in solving the regional conflicts. In
order to take such steps, I believe we need to create much stronger personal
relationship with Arab nations at many levels. Politicians should be able to
pick up a phone and call their counterparts when necessary.

We have established an organization called the Japan-Arab Leadership
network, and its members have visited Arab countries every year for last
fifteen years. We would like to extend this network to the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia as well.

Japan is transforming its economy. Much of manufacturing has moved out of
the country to near the market. Japan is more heavily relying on automation
as the supply of the labor contracting. On the other hand, Saudi Arabia has
an exploding population especially at the young generation. There are a lot
to complement each other’s economy.

I have been the cost-cutter for the national budget for last 10 years and
had been Minister for Administrative Reform. The Saudi government is now
trying hard to transform its role and to streamline the budget. I hope to
share our experience and work together.

- Al Arabiya English: Late last year, you mentioned that ISIS could mount a
cyberattack in Japan. Also Japan - like Saudi Arabia and other Arab
countries - was a victim of terrorism when Japanese hostages were murdered
by ISIS. As you know KSA has established and is leading a new Islamic
Anti-Terror coalition. Do you see room for more and active cooperation with
Japan on this front? And what can be hoped to be achieved?

TK: We all need to fight against terrorism. As the host of the 2020 Olympic
Games, Japan is stepping up anti-terrorist measures. We shall exchange
information and work together to prevent terrorism in the real world and in
the cyber world. The possible damages caused by the cyber terrorism is
limitless. We need to closely cooperate with each other to protect our
people and economy from cyber-attacks.




+++SOURCE: Al Arabiya News 4 Sept.’16:”US has ‘grave differences’ with
Russia over Syria”, by Reuters
SUBJECT:US,.Russia ‘grave differences’ re Syria

QUOTE:”Obama said on Sunday that talks with Russia will be key in reaching
any deal to end hostilities in Syria, but negotiations are difficult”

FULL TEXT:President Barack Obama said the United States and Russia were
working on Sunday[4 Sept] to try to finalize a ceasefire in Syria that would
allow more deliveries of humanitarian aid in the war-torn country.

A deal could be announced as early as Sunday[4 Sept], a senior US State
Department official said on the sidelines of the G20 summit in the eastern
Chinese city of Hangzhou.

“We’re not there yet,” Obama told reporters after a meeting with UK Prime
Minister Theresa May, noting previous ceasefires had failed to last for
long.

Military officials from the United States and Russia, which back opposite
sides in Syria’s five-year war, have been meeting for weeks to try to work
on terms of a deal.

The civil war has killed more than 250,000 people and displaced 11 million,
causing a refugee crisis in the Middle East and Europe, and contributing to
a rise in militant extremist groups.

“We have grave differences with the Russians in terms of both the parties we
support but also the process that is required to bring about peace in
Syria,” Obama said.

Russia has backed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, but the United States
has worked with moderate opposition forces fighting Assad.

“But if we do not get some buy-in from the Russians on reducing the violence
and easing the humanitarian crisis, then it’s difficult to see how we get to
the next phase, he said.

The White House has said Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin likely
would have the chance to talk informally on the sidelines of the G20. No
time for that meeting has been announced.

+++SOURCE: AlArabiya News 4 Sept.’16:”Syrian opposition seeks transitional
govt body”,by Staff Writer
SUBJECT: Syrian opposition seeks transitional govt body

QUOTE:”The committee added that the solution will be implemented via
establishing a transitional governing body with complete executive
jurisdictions. (Reuters) “; “Bashar al-Assad has no presence or role.”

FULL TEXT:The Syrian opposition has prepared itself to participate at a
meeting of foreign ministers on Syria which will be held Wednesday[7 Sept.]
in London after the High Negotiations Committee finished its meetings which
lasted for two days in the Saudi capital.

The committee agreed on the executive framework for a political solution and
confirmed that the latter is the first strategic option for the Syrian
opposition.

According to the committee’s statement, the political solution must
harmonize with international decisions and the Geneva I conference
decisions.

The committee added that the solution will be implemented via establishing a
transitional governing body with complete executive jurisdictions in which
Bashar al-Assad has no presence or role.

It also said that it’s working with the United Nations to establish
executive framework for international decisions to mitigate the suffering of
the Syrian people.

The committee accused the Assad regime of using internationally prohibited
weapons such as the naplam, phosphorus and cluster bombs, in addition to
using chemical weapons. It also accused it of attempting to change the
demographics of the country through forced displacement.

The committee called on the UN to bear its responsibility towards the crimes
which the Assad regime is committing – crimes which it doesn’t seem will end
soon amid the series of ongoing battles as dozens of countries directly
manage or support them or participate in them.
===============
Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA