Syrian protest
Saudi Arabia funds terrorists in Syria: Russia
Source : Presstv / 28 June 2013
Russia says Saudi Arabia and some other Persian Gulf Arab states are supporting "international terrorists and extremists" fighting against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
On Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement, responding to the accusations that Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal had previously leveled against Russia.
"Of course, we are not going to justify ourselves before anyone. Our fundamental position on Syria is well known,"the statement said.
UN: Syria refugees could reach 3.5 million this year
Source : AP | 08 Jun 2013
The number of Syrian refugees in neighboring countries could more than double to 3.5 million by the end of the year, the United Nations said Friday as the global body launched its biggest humanitarian appeal ever.
The UN asked donor countries for $5.2 billion to help alleviate the suffering of millions of people inside and outside Syria who are struggling with the effects of a conflict that has dragged on for more than two years.
EU split over Syria arms ban
Source : Agencies | 27 May 2013
Britain and Austria clashed on Monday over whether the European Union should ease an arms embargo to help Syrian rebels, threatening the unity of the bloc's Syria policy.
Britain and France are pushing hard for the easing of the arms embargo to support rebels ahead of a peace conference sponsored by the United States and Russia expected next month.
Austria leads the camp of five of the EU's 27 governments firmly opposed to sending arms that they believe could deepen the two-year-old Syrian conflict that has cost 80,000 lives.
Nations to boost aid to Syrian rebels until Assad goes
Source : Al Arabiya | 23 May 2013
World powers urged Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to commit to peace but warned Thursday that if he fails to negotiate a political transition they would boost their backing of the opposition.
The stark warning came from a meeting of the Friends of Syria group, which held talks on Wednesday in Amman to try to agree the contours of a peace conference to end the war.
The conflict, now in its third year, has claimed some 94,000 lives.
Iraq to stop more aircraft, vehicles bound for Syria
Source : AP | 30 Mar 2013
Iraq says it will stop more aircraft moving through its airspace and vehicles traveling overland to search for weapons being sent to the Syrian civil war, a senior Iraqi official said Friday.
Government spokesman Ali al-Moussawi said Iraq would conduct more random searches to check for weapons heading for the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad or rebels seeking to topple his regime.
In a telephone call to The Associated Press, al-Moussawi said Iraq refuses to be a “conduit for weapons for either side of the conflict.”
Looters take advantage of Syria’s ongoing conflict
Source : AFP | 27 Mar 2013
Sitting on a cushion she has placed atop debris, Samia stares dismally at a pile of rocks, all that remains of her Aleppo home after it was hit by what everyone here simply refers to as “Scuds.”
Every day since the strike last month she has come to sit by her former home, protecting what is left of it from those who would pillage the remains.
“We haven’t seen any humanitarian aid, the only ones who come to see us are thieves,” the 50-year-old says bitterly as men work behind her.
Obama Boosts Syria Support as Congress Pushes Military Intervention
By Samer Araabi | IPS | 25 Mar 2013
As the Syrian uprising enters its third year, the United States and its allies are preparing to materially increase their support of the armed opposition in Syria.
Secretary of State John Kerry pledged an additional 60 million dollars in direct aid to the rebels, marking the first time Washington will directly supply rebel forces, but the administration appears as wary as ever to get more directly involved.
A generation ‘traumatized’ in Syria, expert witnesses say
Source : AFP | 20 Mar 2013
Women and children are suffering the worst horrors in Syria, with many subjected to rape and sexual violence in a war that has traumatized a generation of young people, U.S. lawmakers heard Tuesday.
Women and children make up around three-quarters of the four million people who have fled either across the border or within Syria, top U.S. and U.N. officials told a subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations committee.
Syrian National Coalition elects Ghassan Hitto as provisional premier
By Al Arabiya with Agencies | 19 Mar 2013
Syrian opposition coalition members on Tuesday elected former businessman Ghassan Hitto as provisional prime minister in a meeting in Istanbul.
Hitto , who will now be in charge of forming a government to fill a power vacuum in Syria, won 35 out of 48 votes, according to comments made by coalition members after the vote.
“I give great thanks to the heroes and revolutionaries of the Syrian people. We are with you,” Hitto told coalition members in brief remarks after he was named.
The cost of war: Syria’s economy pays a painful price
By Eman El-Shenawi | Al Arabiya | 15 Mar 2013
Amid killings, international condemnation and aggressive politics, Syria’s macro-economic concerns may not be at the forefront of people’s minds. However, the country is facing harsh economic realities, despite the lack of official information.
Repairing the damage caused by two years of fighting could cost up to $80 billion, says Abdullah al-Dardari, former deputy premier for economic affairs under President Bashar al-Assad. This figure has caused shockwaves, amid warning signs in recent months of a looming fiscal collapse.
