Middle Orient

The White House battled Monday for congressional authorization to bomb Syria, as two top Republicans warned that a “no” vote after President Barack Obama had threatened action would be catastrophic.

Turkish Minister of European Union (EU) Affairs and Chief Negotiator, Egemen Bagis, said that the decision on a possible international military attack against Syria would be concretised after the G-20 summit in Saint Petersburg on September 5-6. “It is possible for the efforts of the leaders of the G-20 countries …

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says an international response to the use of chemical weapons in Syria is unlikely. However, she added, the “slightest chance” to arrive at such a response must be used.

Until the world community takes decisive action against Syria, Bashar Al-Assad’s regime will continue mass murders, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday. “Worldwide decisions are in the hands of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, and it is – anti-democratic,” he said.

A roadside bomb exploded when a Turkish convoy of 4 vehicles carrying embassy officials was passing en route to Irbil. 

No request or an inquiry has been sent to Bulgaria up to now about possible participation in a military operation in Syria, Bulgarian Defense Minister Angel Naydenov said. “At the meeting of the government’s Security Council we said there were three possible scenarios for the

Russia is unconvinced by evidence presented by the United States and its allies of an alleged chemical attack outside Damascus that the West says was perpetrated by the Syrian regime, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday.

U.S. President Barack Obama is continuing his push for congressional support of U.S. military action in Syria. Obama is hosting a meeting Monday at the White House with prominent Senator John McCain, who

Algeria rejected on Sunday any military intervention against Syria and called for resorting political negotiations, Algerian foreign minister said. “The military intervention’s expenses and implications over the whole region will be severe,” Murad Madlisi told

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister and government spokesperson Bulent Arinc has said that Syria should be punished. Bulent Arinc announced that the Syria issue would be discussed in details at today’s meeting of the Turkish government.