Urging the Assad regime to enter into talks to avoid further violence, the leader of the Syrian opposition, Moaz Alkhatib, offered the regime a peaceful exit. Suggesting the Assad regime's vice President, Farouq al-Shara, as a negotiator for the talks, Alkhatib said, "I ask the regime to send Farouq al-Shara - if it accepts the idea - and we can sit with him," Speaking on Monday to Al Jazeera after talks with US, Russian and Iranian diplomats, Alkhatib said: "The regime must take a clear stand (on dialogue) and we say we will extend our hand for the interest of people and to help the regime...
A senior United Nations adviser has warned of the risk of reprisal attacks against Mali’s T uareg and Arab populations, as conflict in the country continues to rumble on. The UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng called on Mali’s military to ensure all populations were being protected, stating , “While the liberation of towns once under the control of the rebel and extremist groups has brought hope to the populations of northern Mali, I am deeply concerned at the risk of reprisal attacks against ethnic Tuareg and Arab civilians, ” “I am deeply disturbed by reports of...
Chief Prosecutors of war crimes from both Bosnia and Serbia have signed an agreement that will allow easier transfer of information and evidence of war crimes between the two countries. Signing the “Protocol on Cooperation in Prosecution of Perpetrators of War Crimes, Crimes against Humanity and Genocide,” was Vladimir Vukcevic, head of the War Crimes Prosecutor’s Office of Serbia and Goran Salihovic, who heads the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Vukcevic earlier hailed the agreement as helping “to administering the cases more efficiently, eliminating parallel investigations,...
The leader of the Syrian opposition has met with both the Russian and Iranian Foreign Ministers, long-term allies of President Assad's regime, for the first time, as the conflict in Syria continues. Moaz al-Khatib, leader of the Syrian National Coalition, widely recognised as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people, also met with US Vice President Joe Biden at Munich, Germany, where a global security conference was being held. Speaking on the meeting, Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said , "Russia has a certain vision but we welcome negotiations to alleviate the crisis and...
The Syrian opposition are to meet officials from the US and Russia on Saturday together in order to discuss political transition reports Reuters. According to sources in the opposition, the Coalition president, Moaz Alkhatib, is to meet the US Vice President Joe Biden, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and the UN envoy Lakhdhar Brahimi at the sidelines of a conference on security and cooperation in Munich. Reuters have quoted the source as saying: "I think Russia warmed to the meeting after Alkhatib's proposal (to talk to Syrian officials). The Coalition has adopted a position of...
Farc rebels have killed three policemen in Maicao in the north of Colombia, officials say. Violence has escalated since the end of a unilateral ceasefire by the rebels, which was not reciprocated by the Colombian government. Bogota claims that 6 Farc members, including senior commander Jacob Arango, were killed in army operations on Thursday. "It's a strike of great importance," Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon told Reuters news agency.
A three member human rights panel called on Israel to halt further settlement expansion, warning that it could be subject to prosecution as potential war crimes. In a report the panel argued that the settlements were against the Fourth Geneva Convention which forbids the resettlement of civilian populations into occupied territory, and were " leading to a creeping annexation that prevents the establishment of a contiguous and viable Palestinian state and undermines the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination ," A French judge who led the panel, Christine Chanet, said : "Israel...
Palestian officials are to commence voter registration in the Gaza strip next month, allowing for elections. The move comes following talks brokered by Egypt, where Hamas and Fatah agreed that voter registration would be a first step towards a national unity government. The Palestinian Central Election Commission (CEC) was previously banned from Gaza by Hamas. The CEC chairman Hanna Naser said : "We are confident this process will begin soon and will be accomplished, and through it we would have achieved the first stage in the process of ending division." The spokesperson for the Hamas...
Germany has reopened an inquiry into a massacre by SS soldiers in a village in France. The troops killed 642 civilians in Oradour-sur-Glane, a village in occupied France, in June 1944. 60 soldiers stood trial in the 1950s, but all of the 20 convicted were later released. Stasi files have now shown that around 6 former soldiers, who were aged 18 or 19 at the time, are still alive. Germany has sent investigators to the village to take witness testimonies. Most victims of the massacre were women and children, who were herded into a church. Hand grenades were thrown into the building and it was...
The Syrian government has confirmed air strikes b y the Israeli air force have attacked targets in Syria, reporting that a "military research centre" w as struck. Syria however denied reports that a military convoy carrying weapon s towards Lebanon was hit, contra ry to reports by Syrian rebels, West ern diplomats and Leban ese officials reported the BBC . Israel has repeatedly expressed fears of weapons being handed over to Lebanon's Hezbollah by the Syrian reg ime, led by bes ieged President Bashar al -Assad , stat ing that any such m ove would be a "game changer" for the region. However ,...