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Syria talks must not imply 'capitulation' of regime

Agence France-PresseJune 18, 2013 07:01

The planned peace conference in Geneva to end the conflict in Syria should not imply any capitulation on the part of the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted as saying Tuesday. "We are categorically against... assertions that the conference should be some kind of public act of capitulation by the government delegation followed by a handing over of power to the opposition," Lavrov told Kuwaiti news agency KUNA in an interview whose text was published by the Russian foreign ministry.

Japan's Abe urges Syria's Assad to step down

Kyodo News InternationalJune 17, 2013 19:31

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urged Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Monday to step down over the violent crackdown on opposition forces. "In Syria, the violence must be stopped immediately. The Assad regime should step down and a government of the Syrian people should be established," Abe told reporters ahead of a session of the summit of Group of Eight major nations in Northern Ireland.

Obama, Putin meet for Syria showdown

Agence France-PresseJune 17, 2013 16:00

Presidents Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin sat down Monday for a potentially awkward clash over Syria, with the United States and Russia openly backing rival sides in the civil war. Putin went into the talks on the sidelines of the G8 summit after attacking a US decision to begin arming some selected rebel groups battling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Russia's top strategic Arab ally.

Assad says Europe would 'pay price' for arming rebels

Agence France-PresseJune 17, 2013 15:02

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad warned Monday that European powers would "pay the price" if they sent weapons to rebel forces seeking to topple him. "If the Europeans deliver weapons, then Europe's backyard will become terrorist, and Europe will pay the price for it," he was quoted as saying by German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Sending weapons to rebels would lead to terrorism in Europe, he said according to an interview to appear in Tuesday's edition of the newspaper.

Syria no-fly zone not on NATO's agenda: U.S. envoy

Thomson ReutersJune 17, 2013 14:32

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The United States is not asking NATO to back a no-fly zone in Syria and the issue is not currently on the alliance's agenda, the outgoing U.S. ambassador to NATO said on Monday. The purpose of such a move would be to prevent Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from using air power against rebel forces, thereby addressing a critical imbalance in the civil war. But it would be costly to enforce, and could mean entering the conflict by destroying Syria's Russian-built air defences.

Syria dominates G8 with Russia under pressure

Agence France-PresseJune 17, 2013 14:33

The war in Syria dominated the start of the G8 summit in Northern Ireland on Monday as Western leaders upped pressure on Russia to back away from its support for President Bashar al-Assad. Russia dismissed rumoured Western moves to establish a no-fly zone over Syria to help the rebel forces fighting Assad while host Prime Minister David Cameron pushed for progress on a peace conference.

Assad says Europe would 'pay price' for arming rebels

Agence France-PresseJune 17, 2013 11:31

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad warned Monday that European powers would "pay the price" if they sent weapons to rebel forces seeking to topple him. "If the Europeans deliver weapons, then Europe's backyard will become terrorist, and Europe will pay the price for it," he was quoted as saying by German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Sending weapons to rebels would lead to terrorism in Europe, he said according to an excerpt of an exclusive interview to appear in Tuesday's edition of the newspaper.

Assad: Europe 'would pay price' for arming rebels

Agence France-PresseJune 17, 2013 11:00

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad warned Monday that European powers would "pay the price" if they sent weapons to rebel forces seeking to topple him. "If the Europeans deliver weapons, then Europe's backyard will become terrorist, and Europe will pay the price for it," he was quoted as saying by German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Assad also denied US, British and French claims his forces had used chemical weapons. The conflict in Syria was set to dominate a G8 summit starting in Northern Ireland on Monday. fz/dlc/fb

Arming rebels is 'incitement to murder,' Syria warns

Agence France-PresseJune 17, 2013 10:30

Discussions by Western countries on arming Syria's rebel fighters are "incitement to murder," Syria's deputy foreign minister, Faisal Muqdad, said on Monday. "This is the principle of those who want continued killing in Syria," Muqdad told Al-Watan newspaper, after the United States said it would provide "military support" to the rebel side. Both Britain and France have also discussed the prospect of arming the rebels, who have been battling to overthrow the government of President Bashar al-Assad for more than two years.

Car bomb kills 10 soldiers at airport near Damascus

Agence France-PresseJune 17, 2013 10:01

A car bomb killed at least 10 Syrian soldiers and wounded 10 others in an overnight attack near a military airport on the outskirts of Damascus, a monitoring group said on Monday. "At least 10 soldiers were killed and at least 10 others were injured," Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP. "There was a first major blast from a car bomb, and then smaller explosions that appeared to be from rockets fired at the area subsequently," he added.