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Azerbaijan extends detention of opposition leaders

Agence France-PresseMay 15, 2013 14:44
A court in Azerbaijan on Wednesday extended the pre-trial detention of two prominent opposition leaders accused of fomenting rare anti-government riots in the tightly-controlled former Soviet state, opposition activists said. Ilgar Mammadov -- who heads the Republican Alternative (REAL) movement -- and Tofig Yagublu -- deputy head of opposition group Musavat -- were handed an additional three months in jail in closed court hearings in Baku where they are awaiting trial on charges of causing mass disorder and resisting state officials.

Russia surprised by 'crude, clumsy' US spying: Putin aide

Agence France-PresseMay 15, 2013 12:15
The Kremlin is surprised by the "crude and clumsy" espionage activities of the United States in Russia, after a suspected CIA operative was caught trying to recruit a Russian agent, a senior advisor to President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday. "To say the least, we are surprised by the extremely crude and clumsy recruitment" that came after pledges by both sides to improve cooperation, said Putin's foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, quoted by ITAR-TASS.

Israeli PM, Putin to meet Tuesday for Syria talks

Agence France-PresseMay 13, 2013 16:05
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to hold talks on Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the conflict in Syria, the Kremlin said, amid concerns Moscow plans to deliver advanced missiles to the Damascus regime. "During the meeting an exchange of opinion is planned on key aspects of bilateral ties," the Kremlin said in a statement. "It is expected that major attention will be paid to the current situation in the Middle East, first and foremost in Syria," the statement said.

Azerbaijan jails opposition activists over protest

Agence France-PresseMay 11, 2013 23:55
Azerbaijan has sentenced three opposition activists to ten days in jail after they tried to hold a protest at the site of a car crash involving a government soldier, the interior ministry said Friday. The activists from opposition group Musavat, along with one local resident, were arrested Thursday in the town of Khudat -- some 200 kilometres (120 miles) north of Baku -- after a fight broke out following a collision between a car driven by a border guard and that of a local man.

Netanyahu to meet Putin amid Syria missile concerns

Agence France-PresseMay 11, 2013 10:30
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit Russia for talks with President Vladimir Putin, officials said Saturday, amid concerns Moscow may be about to deliver advanced missiles to Syria. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the visit to AFP, but declined to give details, although he told the Interfax news agency it was being planned for next week. The state RIA Novosti news agency, citing a diplomatic source, also said Netanyahu expected to call on Putin at his Black Sea residence in Sochi early next week.

Kerry tells Putin U.S., Russia share common interests in Syria

May 10, 2013 20:45
MOSCOW (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday the United States and Russia share common interests in Syria, including promoting regional stability and preventing the spread of extremism. At the start of a meeting in the Kremlin, Kerry told Putin that U.S. President Barack Obama believed the two nations can cooperate on Syria, Iran, North Korea and economic issues. (Reporting by Arshad Mohammed and Alexei Anishchuk, Writing by Steve Gutterman; Editing by Timothy Heritage)

Putin, Cameron probe for Syria solution amid missile row

Agence France-PresseMay 10, 2013 15:10
British Prime Minister David Cameron and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday sought to forge a joint approach to the crisis in Syria, as a row over Moscow's weapons deliveries to Damascus showed up the divisions between the Kremlin and the West. Cameron's rare call on Putin at his summer vacation residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi came three days after top US and Russian diplomats agreed to make a joint effort in search of a solution.

Cameron to visit Russia on Friday for Syria talks with Putin

Agence France-PresseMay 8, 2013 14:18
British Prime Minister David Cameron announced on Wednesday he will fly to the Russian resort of Sochi on Friday to discuss the Syrian conflict with President Vladimir Putin. The trip was confirmed by the Kremlin, which said in a statement that Cameron would be on a "working visit" without giving further details. Cameron added that the "room for doubt" about whether the Syrian regime was using chemical weapons against rebels, including the nerve agent sarin, "continues to diminish".

Kerry calls on Putin to 'find common ground' on Syria

Agence France-PresseMay 7, 2013 11:41
US Secretary of State John Kerry called on Russian President Vladimir Putin Tuesday to help find common ground over the conflict in Syria, saying Moscow and Washington had shared interests in the country. "The United States really believes that we share some very significant common interests on Syria," Kerry told Putin at the start of talks in the Kremlin. "It is my hope that we will be able to dig into that a little bit. And see if we can find common ground." jkb-sjw/zak/bm

Russian opposition struggles to revive anti-Putin protests

May 7, 2013 11:16
By Steve Gutterman and Maria Tsvetkova MOSCOW (Reuters) - Thousands of Russians demanded an end to President Vladimir Putin's long rule and said they would not let him "turn the country into another GULAG" at a rally on Monday intended to revive flagging protests. But many Russians are frustrated by the opposition's failure to turn big rallies last year into a sustained challenge to Putin, and the joyous mood of the initial protests has given way to a subdued realization that his grip on power has tightened.
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