The UN Security Council is to hold emergency talks after an alleged chemical attack in Syria left dozens of civilians dead and wounded. The release of chemicals in a rebel-held town in Idlib province brought furious international reaction. Officials in Damascus deny opposition and Western claims that they used chemical weapons. Russia’s defence ministry said … Read more
A suspected chemical attack that killed at least 58 civilians in rebel-held northwestern Syria has prompted widespread outrage and calls for international action. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said an air strike in Idlib province Tuesday which released “toxic gas” was likely carried out by government warplanes, a charge the regime denied. UN … Read more
The United States believes the Syrian people do not want President Bashar al-Assad to remain in power and does not accept that he could stand in elections, Ambassador Nikki Haley said Monday. Haley told a news conference that Assad is a “war criminal,” “a hindrance to peace for a long time” and that his treatment … Read more
Syrian rebel factions will not attend a new round of negotiations with government figures in the Kazakh capital, an opposition delegation spokesman told AFP on Monday. “Rebel groups have decided not to participate in Astana,” said Osama Abu Zeid, saying one reason for the boycott was “unfulfilled pledges related to the cessation of hostilities.” The … Read more
A UN chemical weapons watchdog is examining allegations of eight toxic gas attacks in Syria since the beginning of this year, according to a report released Friday. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is tasked with investigating allegations of such attacks in Syria after the government joined the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2013. … Read more
Russia has now blocked seven UN resolutions regarding Syria since unrest erupted there in 2011, almost always with support from China. Moscow is an unconditional supporter of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Damascus, and its latest veto adds to the six previous ones listed below. Six months after the Syrian conflict begins, Russia and China on … Read more
Russia and the United States were headed for a clash at the UN Security Council on Monday as Moscow prepared to veto a draft resolution that would impose sanctions on Syria. The council will vote Tuesday on the text drafted by the United States, Britain and France that would punish 11 Syrians and 10 entities … Read more
Syria’s opposition on Monday urged Russia, a key ally of President Bashar al-Assad, to put pressure on Damascus to help kickstart sputtering peace talks in Geneva. The High Negotiations Committee (HNC), the main opposition group at the UN-sponsored talks, said it expects to meet a Russian delegation Tuesday in the Swiss city. “We sincerely hope … Read more
Several more rounds of Syrian peace talks will be needed to reach any accord, the UN envoy bidding to kickstart the sputtering process has told the rival sides, setting out three key discussion areas. In a paper given to both sides, and seen by AFP Sunday, he said that by the end of the current … Read more
The UN Security Council is likely to vote next week on a draft resolution that would slap sanctions on Syria over the use of chemical weapons but Russia is almost certain to veto the measure, a senior diplomat said Thursday. Britain, France and the United States are pushing for a ban on the sale of … Read more
UN-brokered Syrian peace talks resume in Geneva on Thursday, but hopes of a breakthrough are dim, clouded by persistent violence and deadlock over the country’s political future. On the eve of the talks, 10 months after the last round of negotiations in the Swiss city, Russia called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to stop his … Read more
Since the start of Syria’s war in 2011, several diplomatic initiatives have stumbled over the future of President Bashar al-Assad. Here is a recap: In January 2012, two months after an initial bid to end the violence, leading Arab diplomats adopt a fresh plan that would transfer power from Assad to a coalition cabinet. The … Read more
A UN investigative panel is pressing the Syrian government to hand over the names of commanders, military units and other entities suspected of carrying out chemical attacks, according to a report released Friday. The joint panel of the United Nations and Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has concluded that Syrian forces were … Read more
UN envoy Staffan de Mistura called Thursday for greater efforts in the push for peace in Syria, as he visited Moscow ahead of a fresh round of talks in Geneva. De Mistura was in Russia for meetings with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu as the United Nations gears up to hold … Read more
Kazakhstan said Wednesday a new round of Astana talks on the Syria conflict led by Russia, Turkey and Iran scheduled to begin February 15 would be delayed by a day due to unexplained “technical reasons”. “The negotiations have been moved to February 16 for technical reasons,” a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told … Read more
Syrian government forces carried out at least eight chemical attacks during the final weeks of the battle for Aleppo, killing nine people, among them four children, Human Rights Watch said Monday. The rights group said it interviewed witnesses, collected photos and reviewed video footage indicating that chlorine bombs were dropped from government helicopters during the … Read more
The U. S. State Department said on Saturday it will not send a delegation from Washington to attend Syrian peace talks in the Kazakh capital next week due to immediate demands of the transition. The State Department’s acting spokesman Mark Toner said U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan, George Krol, would attend the Jan. 23 Russian-led talks … Read more
The United Nations General Assembly has voted to establish a special team to “collect, consolidate, preserve and analyse evidence” as well as to prepare cases on war crimes and human rights abuses committed during the conflict in Syria. The General Assembly adopted a Liechtenstein-drafted resolution to establish the independent team with 105 in favour, 15 … Read more
In early 2011, as the Arab Spring was moving across North Africa and the Middle East, small groups of nonviolent activists in Syria, which has been under martial law since 1963, started protesting against the brutal dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad and demanding democratic reforms, the release of political prisoners, an increase in freedoms, abolition of … Read more
European Union leaders warned Russia at a summit on Thursday that they will consider sanctions over its role in the Syrian conflict if Moscow does not stop “crimes” in the devastated city of Aleppo. As the bloc’s 28 leaders met in Brussels for a crucial discussion on their future strategy to deal with Moscow, EU … Read more