Syrian protest

Source : Al Arabiya | 13 Mar 2013

A whole generation of Syrian children risks being lost amid the spiraling civil war in the country, the U.N. children’s agency cautioned Tuesday, saying it was in urgent need of funds to address the crisis.

“Millions of children inside Syria and across the region are witnessing their past and their futures disappear amidst the rubble and destruction of this prolonged conflict,” UNICEF chief Anthony Lake said in a report published two years to the day after the Syrian conflict began.

By Pepe Escobar | Asia Times | 07 Mar 2013

So Bashar al-Assad hath martially spoken - for the first time in seven months - predictably blaming the Syrian civil war on "terrorists" and "Western puppets".

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, he of the former "zero problems with our neighbors" policy, commented that Assad only reads the reports of his secret services. C'mon, Ahmet; Bashar may be no Stephen Hawking, but he's certainly getting his black holes right.

By Jon Queally | Agencies | 28 Feb 2013

As fighting and violence intensifies in Damascus and across Syria, reports on Wednesday signal that the US government is readying to further its involvement in the Middle East nation's ongoing civil war by providing "body armor and armored vehicles, and possibly military training" to the opposition forces aligned against the ruling government of President Bashar al-Asad.

By Agencies | 20 Feb 2013

Russia on Wednesday urged the regime and rebels in Syria to swiftly halt their almost two-year conflict, warning that seeking a military settlement risked leading to mutual destruction.

“It’s time to end this two-year conflict,” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after a meeting with Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi and other top Arab diplomats.

“Neither side can allow itself to bet on a military settlement as this is a path to nowhere, a path to mutual destruction,” he said.

By Al Arabiya with AFP

Russia is sending four more warships to the Mediterranean Sea, the defence ministry said on Tuesday, as the crisis in Syria worsens and Moscow takes measures for a possible evacuation of citizens.

The four landing ships will join an escort ship and smaller vessels that are already on duty in the region, the defence ministry said in a statement to Russian news agencies.

A military source quoted by RIA Novosti said their main task could be taking part in a possible evacuation of Russian citizens from Syria.

By Agencies | 06 Feb 2013

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit began in Cairo on Wednesday as leaders of 56 Islamic nations gathered to push for a solution to the crisis in Syria amid disputes with Iran.

With Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad making an ice-breaking visit to Egypt after 34 years of estrangement, the two-day meeting will focus on how to stop bloodshed in Syria, where Tehran is one of President Bashar al-Assad’s last allies.

By Al Arabiya with AFP | 31 Jan 2013

Russia said on Thursday it was very concerned about reports of an Israeli air attack deep inside Syria near its capital Damascus. Any action of such, if confirmed, would amount to unacceptable military interference in the war-ravaged country, the Russian foreign ministry said on Thursday.

By Agencies | 30 Jan 2013

Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah pledged $300 million on Wednesday to help fund humanitarian efforts for millions of Syrians affected by nearly two years of conflict.

Announcing the pledge at an aid donor conference, al-Sabah added that “horrifying reports” of violence had raised questions over the future of Syria and aid efforts had to be redoubled.

Speaking at the conference, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appealed to all combatants in Syria’s civil war to stop fighting “in the name of humanity.”

By Reuters | 23 Jan 2013

Palestinian refugees who fled Syria’s war to neighboring Lebanon are living up to 20 in a room with no water, fresh air or electricity, the head of the U.N. agency for Palestinians said on Tuesday.

Donors needed to do more to help at least 20,000 Palestinians who have already come in from Syria and more than 200 who join them every day to endure “horrible” conditions, U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) chief Filippo Grandi told Reuters.

By Agencies | 17 Jan 2013

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned on Wednesday an attack at Aleppo University in Syria that killed scores of students and warned that the deliberate targeting of civilians was a war crime.

“Such heinous attacks are unacceptable and must stop immediately. All combating parties in Syria must abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law,” Ban said in a statement, according to Reuters. “Deliberate targeting of civilians and civilian targets constitutes a war crime.”