The Wall Street Journal - 14.03.2020 - 15.03.2020

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WORLD NEWS

TEL AVIV—Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
and rival Benny Gantz agreed
to discuss forming a unity
government, saying the threat
from the new coronavirus
made it necessary to end the
yearlong political stalemate.
The talks offer a potential
lifeline for Mr. Netanyahu,
who is trying to remain in
power as he goes on trial for
corruption charges next week.
Mr. Gantz’s Blue and White
party previously objected to
any unity government that al-
lowed Mr. Netanyahu to re-
main prime minister while un-
der indictment, while Mr.
Netanyahu’s Likud party in-
sisted he serve first in any ro-
tation agreement.
“It’s a Hail Mary pass,” said
Shalom Lipner, who worked
for several Israeli prime minis-
ters including Mr. Netanyahu
and is now with the Atlantic
Council think tank. “There’s
public desperation over both
the coronavirus and the politi-
cal situation.”
The two leaders spoke by
phone Thursday evening, dur-
ing which Mr. Gantz said the
parties’ negotiators should
meet to urgently discuss form-
ing an emergency government,
according to his spokeswoman.
Three elections in just un-
der one year have proved in-
conclusive. Previous talks on a
unity government in Septem-
ber broke down following dis-
agreements on who would
first serve as prime minister.
The epidemic offers impetus
for Messrs. Netanyahu and
Gantz to set aside animosity and
end interim rule. Israel has al-
ready taken extraordinary mea-
sures to address the outbreak,
including requiring all foreign
arrivals to self-quarantine.
The talks follow two weeks
of wrangling by Mr. Netanyahu
and Mr. Gantz to find paths to
ruling without the backing of
the other. The Likud party
came out of elections on March
2 as the largest party with 36
seats, with Mr. Gantz’s party
the second biggest with 33, but
neither has enough support for
the 61 seats needed to form a
governing coalition.
Obstacles remain, with both
politicians calling for an emer-
gency unity government but
neither saying which parties
would be part of the coalition.
Mr. Gantz said Thursday
that Blue and White “would be
willing to discuss establishing
a national emergency govern-
ment that would include rep-
resentation of all parts of the
house,” which many took to
mean including the Joint List
group of Arab parties. The two
politicians disagreed about
what role the Joint List would
play in such a government, Mr.
Netanyahu’s office said Friday.

BYFELICIASCHWARTZ

Israeli

Leaders to

Weigh Unity

Government

WORLD WATCH

SYRIA

Turkish, Russian

Troops to Start Patrols

Turkish and Russian troops
will begin jointly patrolling a key
highway in northwest Syria on
Sunday as part of a fragile truce
brokered by the countries, Tur-
key’s defense minister said Friday.
Hulusi Akar made the an-
nouncement after Turkish and
Russian officials ended four days
of talks in Ankara over the techni-
calities of the cease-fire reached
last week for Syria’s Idlib province.
The cease-fire by Russia and
Turkey—which support the op-
posing sides in the Syria con-
flict—called for the establishment
of a security corridor along
Syria’s M4 highway, running east-
west in Idlib, with joint patrols by
Russian and Turkish troops.
In rebel-held parts of Idlib,
scores of people gathered in the
town of Ariha on the M4 high-
way saying they reject patrols
by Russian “occupiers” on the
road, according to some opposi-
tion war monitors.
—Associated Press

KOSOVO

Serbia, Bosnia Tariffs

Won’t Be Lifted

Kosovo won’t lift its 100%
tariff on goods from Serbia and
Bosnia anytime soon because
the coalition government couldn’t
agree on whether the import
taxes should be phased out or

abolished all at once, Prime Min-

ister Albin Kurti said Friday.

His left-wing Self-Determina-

tion Movement, or Vetevendosje,

wanted to lift the tariff in

phases, starting Sunday with

raw materials imported from

Serbia, as a goodwill gesture.

The party’s main governing

partner, the Democratic League

of Kosovo, or LDK, wants the

import taxes dropped completely.

Mr. Kurti wants abolishment of

the tariffs made conditional on

Serbia stopping an international

campaign against Kosovo’s rec-

ognition as a country. The coali-

tion partners haven’t found a

compromise, Mr. Kurti said.

The U.S. and European Union

also want Kosovo to do away with

the tariffs.

Kosovo imposed the punitive

tariffs in November 2018 over

Serbian efforts to block Kosovo

from joining international organi-

zations. The dispute led to the

suspension of the EU-mediated

talks, which started in 2011.

Serbia’s President Aleksandar

Vucic has described Mr. Kurti’s

proposed phaseout as a trick.

—Associated Press

EGYPT

Death Toll Rises

From Floods, Storms

Thunderstorms and flooding

around Egypt entered a second

day Friday, interrupting life in

much of the country, as the death

toll rose to 21, authorities said.

Most of the fatalities oc-

curred in rural areas and slums.

At least six children died.

Since the rains hit late

Wednesday and early Thursday,

social media has been filled with

images and video showing

flooded roads and villages, as

well as waterlogged apartments

in some of Cairo’s richest neigh-

borhoods.

To minimize the impact of

bad weather, the government

closed schools and suspended

work in businesses and govern-

ment offices after forecasters

warned of heavy rains and flood-

ing across much of the country

through Saturday.

—Associated Press

UGANDA

Security Forces Detain

Retired General

Ugandan security forces are

holding a retired army general

and presidential aspirant for al-

legedly urging a foreign govern-

ment in the region to help oust

President Yoweri Museveni.

Lt. Gen. Henry Tumukunde, a

former spy chief and security

minister under Mr. Museveni,

faces treason charges stemming

from his comments allegedly

asking Rwanda “to support him

in removing the current leader-

ship with or without the ballot,”

police said Friday.

Mr. Tumukunde’s lawyer told

reporters Friday that the

Rwanda comments were the ba-

sis for the treason charges.

—Associated Press

A man draws a mural marking the coming ninth anniversary of the war in Syria. The art work shows a dove holding an olive branch flying over a

Syrian opposition flag in the shape of the eastern Arabic numeral ‘9’ while being targeted by a military aircraft with the Arabic word ‘years’ below.

OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES

say Mr. Macron is moving cau-

tiously, coordinating with allies

and following the West’s “dual-

track” approach of talking to

the Kremlin while seeking to

deter it militarily.

The repatriation and funeral

will be a symbolic demonstra-

tion of French and Russian

friendship, say French and Rus-

sian officials familiar with the

plans. Mr. Putin has used his-

tory at home to craft a narra-

tive of Russia as a virtuous

global power whose views must

be taken into account. Abroad,

he has mobilized history to

browbeat neighbors that were

once Moscow’s vassals.

Mr. Macron, like Mr. Putin, is

attuned to the power of history

and military pomp in diplo-

matic relations. He welcomed

President Trump to the Paris

military complex known as Les

Invalides in 2017 ahead of a

military parade. Gen. Gudin will

be buried in a crypt there near

the remains of Napoleon.

In May, Mr. Macron plans to

attend Russia’s military parade

on Red Square in Moscow to

mark the 75th anniversary of

the Soviet Union’s victory in

World War II.

“We have rich historical

roots between France and Rus-

sia,” said Dmitry Peskov, Mr.

Putin’s spokesman. “This is

very fruitful ground.”

The protagonist behind Gen.

Gudin’s return is an unlikely

figure: Mr. Malinowski, a

French commando-turned-ar-

chaeologist. The son of a histo-

rian from eastern France, the

32-year-old Mr. Malinowski

seized upon the two presidents’

attraction to national lore.

Mr. Malinowski’s ability to

woo Mr. Macron came despite

his entrance into politics as an

aide to French far-right leader

Jean-Marie Le Pen, whose

daughter Marine ran against

Mr. Macron for the presidency

in 2017.

Mr. Malinowski said he trav-

eled to Russia at Mr. Le Pen’s

behest in fall 2014 to ingratiate

himself with the Kremlin,

which has supported Europe’s

far right.

With Western leaders shun-

ning Mr. Putin, Mr. Malinowski

was invited onto the main

stand on Red Square for the

Victory Day military parade on

May 9, 2015. Afterward, at a

reception in the Kremlin, Mr.

Malinowski told Mr. Putin of

his plans to search for the re-

mains of soldiers from World

War I who had been sent by

the Russian czar to fight

in France. Mr. Putin asked to

be kept informed.

Mr. Malinowski searched

fields near his home city of

Reims through 2016. When he

uncovered a Russian Orthodox

cross on Dec. 24, he knew he

had found a Russian.

At the end of 2017, Mr. Mal-

inowski moved to Moscow in

search of further archaeologi-

cal projects and adventures.

In search of a signature

project, Mr. Malinowski turned

to Napoleon, the French em-

peror who scored many nota-

ble military victories but

whose invasion of Russia in

1812 ended in ruinous retreat.

Gen. Gudin fit the bill. Gen.

Gudin’s name is engraved on

the Arc de Triomphe, the mon-

ument celebrating the French

military in Paris. He died three

days after his leg was blown

off by a cannonball during a

battle near the western Rus-

sian city of Smolensk in August

1812. The general’s heart was
      returned to France, but his
      body was buried in Smolensk.
      An initial search with a
      team of French and Russian ar-
      chaeologists drew a blank in
      May 2019. But during a fresh
      effort in July, Mr. Malinowski
      took a call from his team while
      back in France: They had found
      a large wooden coffin in a pub-
      lic park in Smolensk.
      “I knew immediately it was
      Gudin,” he said.

PARIS—The French former

commando clutched an unusual

package on an early-morning

flight from Moscow to Paris in

September, on a mission

blessed by the Russian and

French presidents.

Stashed in Pierre Mal-

inowski’s bag were fragments

of the teeth, leg bone and skull

of French Gen. Charles Etienne

Gudin, a friend of Napoleon,

who was killed by a cannonball

during France’s failed invasion

of Russia in 1812.

DNA tests in France con-

firmed the identity of the gen-

eral, who had been exhumed in

Russia by a team of French and

Russian archaeologists and his-

torians headed by Mr. Mal-

inowski, he said in an inter-

view.

Now, French President Em-

manuel Macron plans to wel-

come Russian President Vladi-

mir Putin to a grand military

funeral here in September to

bury the French general, the

most public effort by a West-

ern leader to relieve Mr. Putin’s

international isolation.

The funeral is the kind of

symbolic bilateral event with

Mr. Putin that Western govern-

ments have largely avoided in

recent years. Relations between

the West and Russia are at their

worst since the Cold War over

the Kremlin’s invasion of

Ukraine, its development of new

nuclear weapons and its inter-

ference in elections.

Mr. Macron, concerned that

the U.S. commitment to its Eu-

ropean allies is eroding and

China is ascendant, wants to

end Russia’s isolation and re-

shape European security. En-

gaging Mr. Putin could also

help Mr. Macron assume the

mantle of Europe’s foremost

leader from German Chancellor

Angela Merkel, who plans to

step down next year.

Mr. Macron’s attempts to

prevail upon Mr. Putin over nu-

clear-arms control and the con-

flict in Ukraine have yielded

little progress. French officials

BYJAMESMARSON

ANDNOEMIEBISSERBE

Bone Fragments Unify Putin, Macron

Skull fragments of Gen. Charles Etienne Gudin, a friend of Napoleon, and, below, archeologist Pierre

Malinowski, whose team found him. The presidents of Russia and France plan a ceremonial burial.

ARTHUR BONDAR FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL (2)

WASHINGTON—Iraqi offi-

cials reacted angrily to Ameri-

can airstrikes against an Iran-

backed group on Iraqi soil,

contributing to increased U.S.-

Iraqi tensions as the two coun-

tries attempt to jointly defeat

terrorist groups operating there.

The Pentagon said Thurs-

day it had carried out a series

of strikes against weapons fa-

cilities belonging to Kataib

Hezbollah, or KH, an Iran-

backed, Shiite militia group

based in Iraq that repeatedly

has staged rocket attacks

against American forces there,

U.S. military officials said.

The U.S. airstrikes, which

occurred early Friday in Bagh-

dad, were in response to an

attack by KH that killed three

coalition members, including

two Americans, and injured 14

more. The U.S., operating

alone, used manned aircraft to

target five weapons-storage

sites across central Iraq, offi-

cials said. The Iraqi military

said six individuals, none of

whom were members of KH,

had been killed in the strikes.

President Barham Salih de-

nounced the American air-

strikes and said they further

undermined the state’s author-

ity, making it harder for Iraq

to deal with multiple crises,

including a coronavirus out-

break, a political vacuum and

a looming economic crunch.

Mr. Salih warned that Iraq

risked sliding into chaos and

said there already were signs

that Islamic State, which was

largely defeated, was reconsti-

tuting itself. Iraq’s foreign min-

ister summoned the American

and British ambassadors follow-

ing the strikes and anti-U.S. pol-

iticians renewed their calls for

the expulsion of foreign forces.

Earlier this year, pro-Ira-

nian members of the Iraqi par-

liament spearheaded a vote to

eject all of the approximately

5,000 American forces from

Iraq following the U.S. air-

strike that killed Maj. Gen.

Qassem Soleimani, the top Ira-

nian general, in Iraq Jan. 3.

The U.S. has tried to resolve

the dispute with the Iraqi gov-

ernment while maintaining

U.S. force levels there to pre-

vent Islamic State from stag-

ing attacks in the country.

Gen. Frank McKenzie, the

head of U.S. Central Command,

which oversees operations in

the Middle East, said that Fri-

day’s strikes were defensive in

nature and that the weapons

storage-facilities destroyed

were legitimate targets.

“We assessed that each lo-

cation stored weapons that

would enable lethal operations

against U.S. and coalition

forces in Iraq,” Gen. McKenzie

told reporters at the Pentagon

Friday. “We also assessed that

the destruction of these sites

will degrade Kataib Hezbol-

lah’s ability to conduct future

strikes.”

Gen. McKenzie said the U.S.

consulted with the Iraqi gov-

ernment after the strikes on

the weapons facilities.

He also said a Patriot missile

system, which can defend

against a ballistic missile strike

like the one launched by Iran

after the killing of Gen. Solei-

mani, would soon be installed

and operable within Iraq.

—Ghassan Adnan in

Baghdad contributed to this

article.

Baghdad Angered by U.S. Strikes on Militia Group

ByGordon Lubold,

Nancy A. Youssef

andIsabel Coles