Latest in Tag: Assad Highlight
Latest in Tag: Assad
Regime to blame for most Syria abuses: UN rights chief
AFP – Syria must be held accountable for abuses against its people and those responsible should be hauled before the International Criminal Court, UN rights chief Navi Pillay said Tuesday. âCriminal justice must be seized. The UN Security Council must be able to unite around the simple idea that terrible crimes have been committed …
Syria presidential candidacy to open this month: Minister
AFP – Candidates for presidential elections in Syria this year will be able to submit their applications during the last 10 days of April, state media reported, quoting Information Minister Omran Al-Zohbi. The minister also insisted that the elections would proceed on time, despite a raging civil war that has killed more than 150,000 people. …
Syria rebels lick their wounds in Lebanon border town
Arsal too has suffered violence, including Syrian air strikes, incidents pitting Lebanonâs army against Lebanese and Syrian extremists, and on Saturday a car bomb that killed three soldiers.
Syria opposition calls for âsophisticatedâ arms
Addressing the Arab summit in Kuwait, National Coalition chief Ahmed Jarba urged Arabs to give Syriaâs Arab League seat to the opposition and hand them Syriaâs embassies in their countries.
Saudi says world has âbetrayedâ Syria rebels
Saudi Arabia is one of the main backers of the rebellion against Assad that erupted three years ago and has become a full-fledged civil war after loyalists launched a crackdown against protesters seeking democratic reforms.
Syria rebels seize key area on Turkey border: NGO
The air raids come a day after a Syrian warplane was shot down by Ankaraâs jets in an incident slammed as âflagrant aggressionâ by Damascus.
One dead as pro-, anti-Damascus gunmen clash in Beirut
AFP – A firefight between pro- and anti-Damascus factions in Beirut killed one gunman and wounded 13 Sunday, a security official said, in the latest spillover of the conflict in neighbouring Syria. The gun battle raged from 3am to 8.30am (0100 to 0630 GMT) in a poor Sunni Muslim district in the south of the …
Arab League: A factfile
The pan-Arab bloc was created in Cairo on 22 March 1945.
Obama urges Lebanon to stick to election timetable
Obama thanked Salam for hosting Syrian refugees, nearly one million of whom have fled to Lebanon.
24 killed as rebels fight to take Syria border post
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Islamists included the Al-Qaeda affiliated Al-Nusra Front.
As Syria war enters fourth year, regime eyes victory
For now, neither side seems to have the means to win decisively a conflict that has cost more than 140,000 lives and displaced nearly half Syriaâs population, many of them now refugees.
Syria surrenders a third of chemical arsenal: Watchdog
OPCW head Ahmet Uzumcu told the Executive Council meeting that Syria had submitted a revised proposal to complete the removal of all chemicals from Syria before the end of April, after previously saying it could only complete the job by June.
Return of jihadist fighters from Syria sparks fear in Tunisia
AFP â Around 400 Tunisian jihadists have returned from fighting in the Syrian war, the interior minister said, sparking fears that the battle-hardened militants could fuel Islamist violence back home. Since the 2011 revolution, Tunisia has been rocked by sporadic violence linked to Muslim extremists who were suppressed under the regime of ousted strongman Zine …
Saudi âseeking Pakistan arms for Syrian rebelsâ
Pakistan makes its own version of Chinese shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles, known as Anza, and anti-tank rocketsâ both of which Riyadh is trying to get for the rebels
Obama vows to put more pressure on Assad regime
At the meeting Obama pledged $1bn in loan guarantees to Jordan, as well as a renewal of a five-year memorandum of understanding.
Syria opposition chief presses Russia on Assad
Syrian President Bashar Al-Assadâs team and the opposition made no progress on local ceasefires or permission for humanitarian corridors to some of the countryâs more devastated cities such as Homs.
Turkey PM to visit Iran to expand ties
AFP â Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is due in Tehran Tuesday evening, as both countries seek to expand economic ties and hold talks on the Syrian civil war, an Iranian official said. Iran is a main ally of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, while Turkey supports the rebels seeking to oust Assad, and relations …
Reporter abuse-trading echoes Syriaâs divide
The most recent international conferences of the so-called Friends of Syria countries only involved the opposition.
New Beirut car bombing against Hezbollah kills 4
The blast took place on busy Al-Arid Street in the Haret Hreik neighbourhood, targeted by a suicide car bombing earlier this month.
Syria photos prove mass torture by Assad regime: report
Syria denies torturing detainees.
Saudi rejects Iranâs participation in Syria talks
Iran, a key backer of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and Saudi Arabiaâs regional arch foe, said Monday that it will attend the peace talks but without preconditions.
West hails Syria opposition vote to join peace talks
The Syrian leader was quoted on Sunday as saying his departure is not up for discussion, in a Russian media report that his office quickly denied.
Fahmy welcomes Syrian oppositionâs decision to attend Geneva II talks
The opposition coalition voted to attend talks scheduled to begin later this week
Divided Syria opposition debates joining peace talks
The talks opening Wednesday are aimed at setting up a transitional government to find a way out of the brutal conflict that has killed 130,000 people and made millions homeless since March 2011.
Kerry and Lavrov discuss Syria peace talks
The meetings come as Assadâs forces appear to make gains on the ground amid deadly internal fighting in the rebellion pitting the once-dominant Islamists against resurgent fighters from groups more palatable to the West.
Syria inks oil, gas exploration deal with Russian firm
The agreement was signed by Syrian Oil Minister Suleiman Abbas, Syria’s General Petroleum Company and the Russian Soyuzneftegaz company.
An unregulated security threat
By Andrew Tabler, Now. As more and more Syrians flee to neighboring Lebanon, the situation there is a growing national security concern not only for Lebanon, but the entire region. While Hezbollah and Iran are supporting the Assad regime in Syria, their increased vulnerability in Lebanon should give them pause, as the recent bombing of …
America’s unlearned lessons
By Michael Young, NOW. Afghanistan all over again After the 11 September 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, you would often hear from Americans that Washington had botched the aftermath of the civil war in Afghanistan. Instead of helping stabilise the country after having armed the Afghanis in their struggle against the Russian occupation, …
Putin: Western states must bring Syrian opposition to peace talks
Russia, which backs Assad, and the United States, which supports the opposition, announced plans in May to convene a “Geneva 2” conference to try to end the Syrian conflict
Syria air force bombards town near Lebanon: Monitor
The Britain-based group said opposition fighters in the town were determined to resist despite the pressure.