NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Wednesday that the threat of military action should remain on the table to make Syria keep its promises on giving up chemical weapons. Speaking after he met British Prime Minister David Cameron in London, Rasmussen welcomed the recent US-Russian agreement under which the …
Read More »Turkey says UN report shows that Syrian gov’t is responsible for chemical attack
After the release of a UN report, Turkey claimed to be certain that the chemical weapons attack in Damascus on Aug. 21 was committed by the Syrian regime, both in a written statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Tuesday’s statements from Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu. Saying …
Read More »Turkey says helicopter shooting will not change the Geneva process on Syria
The shooting down of a Syrian helicopter by Turkish fighter jets on Monday after it crossed into Turkish airspace will not affect the deal that Washington and Moscow arrived at in Geneva on Syria’s chemical weapons, a senior Turkish diplomat said. When the news of the downing
Read More »Turkish opposition leader against war with Syria, calls for peace in the region
Turkey’s Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has again slammed the government’s desire to engage in a military operation against Syria, calling for peace in the region.
Read More »Lebanon prepares for UN meeting on Syrian refugees
Lebanon is getting ready for a United Nations meeting in New York next week to discuss ways of helping Lebanon cope with huge numbers of Syrian refugees who have taken residence in the country.
Read More »Obama to test Iran president’s interest in dialogue
President Barack Obama said on Tuesday that Iran’s new President Hassan Rouhani appears to want to open a dialogue with the United States and that he is willing to test whether this is the case.
Read More »Egypt partially reopens Gaza crossing
Egypt partially reopened its border crossing with the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, a week after it was closed in response to a deadly attack on an Egyptian military headquarters near the frontier. Witnesses said two buses took 100 passengers into Egypt through the Rafah crossing, the main window to the world for the Gaza Strip’s …
Read More »UN confirms sarin was used in Syria attack
UN chemical investigators on Monday confirmed the use of sarin nerve agent in an August 21 poison gas attack outside the Syrian capital in a long-awaited report that the United States, Britain and France said proved government forces were responsible. “This is the most significant confirmed use of chemical weapons …
Read More »Turkey backs plan to strip Syria of its chemical weapons
Turkish President Abdullah Gul said Monday that his country supports any move that would completely strip Syria of its stockpile of chemical weapons. However, he stressed that the international community should not act as if nothing serious is happening in Syria, even if Damascus had not used chemical weapons against …
Read More »Turkey to notify UN and NATO on taking down Syrian helicopter
Turkey will provide the U.N. Security Council and fellow members of the NATO military alliance with details of the circumstances of its shooting down on Monday of a Syrian helicopter, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said. Turkish warplanes shot down the Syrian Mi-17 helicopter after it violated Turkish airspace following repeated warnings, Deputy Prime Minister …
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