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General signals Egypt army staying out of politics

Thomson ReutersMay 11, 2013 16:30

CAIRO (Reuters) - The army is not the answer to Egypt's political problems, the army chief said on Saturday, urging Egyptians to find a way to get along in comments that appeared to rule out any military intervention in the country's political standoff. General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, in comments reported online by the state-run Al-Ahram newspaper, called for "a framework for consensus". "The alternative is extremely dangerous," he said.

Syrian rebels unite to retake strategic town near Damascus

Thomson ReutersMay 11, 2013 14:45

By Mariam Karouny BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels including the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front have counter-attacked east of Damascus to retake a town that served as a conduit for arms from Jordan into the capital before it was seized by government forces last month, rebel sources said. The rebels' struggle to end four decades of Assad family rule has been complicated in part by internal divisions along ideological and political lines, as well as a shortage of heavy weaponry that could decisively turn the tide of conflict.

Dozens dead in Turkey car bombings near Syria border

Agence France-PresseMay 11, 2013 11:00

Two explosive-laden cars blew up in a small Turkish town near the border with Syria on Saturday, killing at least 40 people and wounding 100 in one of the deadliest recent attacks in the volatile area. The bombings in the town of Reyhanli, just a few kilometres from the main border crossing into Syria, come amid increasingly bellicose criticism by Ankara of the regime in Damascus. Interior Minister Muammer Guler said the explosions were caused by car bombs that blew up near the town hall and the post office in Reyhanli, according to the Anatolia news agency.

13 dead in Turkey car bombings near Syria border

Agence France-PresseMay 11, 2013 09:45

Two explosive-laden cars blew up in a small Turkish town near the volatile border with Syria on Saturday, killing 13 people, the interior minister said. The attacks in the town of Reyhanli, just a few kilometres from the main border crossing into Syria, come amid increasingly bellicose criticism by Ankara of the regime in Damascus. Interior Minister Muammer Guler said the explosions were caused by car bombs that blew up near the town hall and the post office in Reyhanli, according to Anatolia news agency.

Iraqi Kurds wary of PKK fighters coming from Turkey

Agence France-PresseMay 11, 2013 08:00

Iraqi Kurds living near the border are wary of thousands of Kurdish fighters leaving Turkey for northern Iraq, and hope the move does not lead to more Turkish air and artillery strikes. For years, Turkey's military has targeted fighters from the Kurdistan Workers' Party in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, keeping farmers from their land and sometimes killing and wounding civilians. The PKK, which has fought a 29-year nationalist campaign against Ankara, is now withdrawing its fighters into Iraq, where it already has bases, as part of a peace drive with Turkey.

Syrian Islamists to be added to UN sanctions list

Agence France-PresseMay 10, 2013 22:01

The UN Security Council will add the Al-Qaeda-linked Syrian militants Al-Nusra Front to its sanctions blacklist next week, diplomats said Friday. Following a move by France and Britain, the Islamist group, which has become one of the most feared fighting forces in Syria's two-year-old conflict, will be subject to a global asset freeze from Tuesday, the diplomats told AFP. A pledge of allegiance by Al-Nusra's chief Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani to Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has caused divisions among the rebel groups battling President Bashar al-Assad.

Hezbollah: Israeli strikes sought to help Sunni radicals in Syria

Thomson ReutersMay 10, 2013 20:45

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Hezbollah said Israeli air strikes in Syria aimed to boost Sunni Islamist rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad but was mum on Israeli assertions that the attacks targeted missiles headed for the Shi'ite group in neighboring Lebanon. Israeli officials said the air strikes on Friday and Sunday were not meant to influence its neighbor's civil war but only stop Iranian missiles reaching Hezbollah militants for possible use against the Jewish state.

Kerry pursues Syria, Mideast plans in Rome talks

Agence France-PresseMay 10, 2013 12:46

US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday doggedly pursued his hopes of both ending the war in Syria and bringing Israel and the Palestinians back to negotiations on the third day of a whirlwind tour. Fresh from a marathon day of diplomacy in Moscow at which he agreed with Russian leaders to organise a conference seeking to end the bloodshed in Syria, the new top US diplomat met for talks with Israeli peace negotiators.

Top Muslim cleric against ceding 'any of Palestine'

Agence France-PresseMay 10, 2013 12:18

Influential Muslim cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi warned on Thursday nobody was allowed to cede "any part of Palestine," during a visit to the Hamas-ruled Palestinian enclave of Gaza. "No one is allowed to give up any part of Palestine," he said during a meeting with Gaza prime minister Ismail Haniya and members of the government. Egyptian-born Qaradawi, who is a citizen of Qatar and close to the Muslim Brotherhood, was heading of a delegation of 50 clerics from 14 countries.

Syria welcomes US-Russia initiative

Agence France-PresseMay 10, 2013 12:18

Syria on Thursday welcomed a US-Russian initiative to find a political solution to its conflict, counting on ally Moscow to stand firm, even as Washington said President Bashar al-Assad would have to step down. US Secretary John Kerry, who announced the initiative earlier this week, said the embattled president would have to step down as part of the resolution to the conflict. "Syria welcomes the US-Russian rapprochement," the Syrian foreign ministry said in a statement.