BOGOTA: President Juan Manuel Santos on Thursday night rejected a proposal by Colombia’s main leftist rebel movement to observe a cease-fire during peace talks that are to begin next month in Norway.
Leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, said hours earlier during a news conference in Cuba that their first item on the negotiations’ agenda would be to propose a truce in the half-century of fighting that has killed tens of thousands.
Santos said that would not happen. He said the Colombian military and police had been instructed to intensify offensive actions against the rebels.
“We will not give anything until we get the final agreement, and I want to make that very clear,” the president told reporters at a military base in central Colombia.
Santos did not respond to questions. There was no immediate comment from FARC officials.
Earlier in the day, rebel officials raised the idea of a cease-fire during a meeting with journalists in Havana to discuss FARC’s plans for the peace talks.
“We will propose a cease-fire the moment we sit down at the table,” said Mauricio Jaramillo, a spokesman and top FARC leader. “We are going to discuss it.”
Before Santos rejected that idea, he said during an interview with Colombia’s W Radio on Thursday that a lasting peace could be achieved if both sides truly have the will.
“Making peace requires more sacrifice, more risk, but at the end the rewards are much higher,” Santos said.
FARC said the talks are scheduled to begin Oct. 8 in Oslo and it named three of its negotiators for the negotiations, including a high-ranking guerrilla now imprisoned in the United States.
Jaramillo said two of the negotiators will be Ivan Marquez, a participant in past peace talks and a member of the FARC’s six-person ruling secretariat, and Jose Santrich, a second-tier leader.
The rebels said they want the third to be Ricardo Palmera, alias “Simon Trinidad,” a high-ranking FARC member and former peace negotiator who was extradited to the US in 2005 and is serving a 60-year prison term on hostage-taking conspiracy charges.
Asked whether the FARC is seeking Palmera’s release or the rebels envision him participating by videoconference, Andres Paris, another spokesman, responded that Colombia’s president would be learning of their request from Thursday’s announcement and they would await a response from his government.
“You (the media) will be the bearers of this news, that the FARC has decided as a symbol of the nation and of dignity to have Simon at the negotiating table,” Paris said.
More negotiators will be announced later, Jaramillo said.
The Colombian government named its five delegates to the peace talks Wednesday.
In Washington, State Department spokesman William Ostick did not respond specifically to the request for Trinidad’s participation, saying that the US supports Santos’ efforts.
“We hope the FARC will take this opportunity to end its decades of terrorism and narcotics trafficking. The United States is not a party to these negotiations. We will not comment on the negotiating positions of the parties,” Ostick said.
A decade ago, talks fell through after Colombia had ceded a Switzerland-size swath of terrain as a safe haven for the FARC, which used it as a base to continue waging war elsewhere, extorting, kidnapping and expanding its cocaine trafficking activities.
In Havana, the FARC representatives played a roughly edited video in which rebel chief Timoleon Jimenez, known by the nom de guerre “Timochenko,” denied that the group had been weakened by defections and the deaths of several top leaders in recent years.
“We have never been stronger or more united,” Jimenez said. “They are completely mistaken, those who try to see weakness in our tireless efforts for peace.”
The Norwegian, Venezuelan and Chilean ambassadors to Cuba were at the convention hall representing their countries, which along with Cuba are facilitating the peace talks.
Colombia says no to FARC proposal for cease-fire during peace talks
Colombia says no to FARC proposal for cease-fire during peace talks
India turns to geo-tagging to conserve Kashmir’s iconic ‘Chinar’ trees
- The trees are a cultural and ecological symbol of the restive northern territory
- The trees face threats from rising urbanization, road-widening projects, diseases
SRINAGAR: Authorities in Indian-administered Kashmir are geo-tagging thousands of ‘Chinar’ trees to create a comprehensive database for their management and help conserve them amid threats from rising urbanization, road-widening projects and diseases.
The trees are a cultural and ecological symbol of the restive northern territory, which is claimed in full by India and Pakistan and ruled in part by both, but hundreds of them have been lost over the last few decades.
Under the geo-tagging process, QR codes are attached to each surveyed tree, recording information about 25 characteristics, including its geographical location, health, age, and growing patterns, enabling conservationists to track changes and address risk factors.
The public can also scan the code to access the details, Syed Tariq, the head of the project, told Reuters.
“We have geo-tagged nearly 29,000 trees, but we still have more small-sized trees that haven’t been tagged... These will be tagged in due course,” Tariq said.
The Chinar trees take around 150 years to reach their full size of up to 30 meters (100 ft) in height with a girth of 10 to 15 meters (30 to 50 ft) at ground level.
The oldest Chinar in the region lies on the outskirts of the city of Srinagar and is around 650 years old.
“We are using a USG-based (ultrasonography-based) gadget capable of determining risk levels without human intervention. The gadget will assess risk factors, eliminating the need for manual evaluation,” Tariq said.
The portion of Kashmir under India’s control was roiled by violence for decades as militants fought security forces, but the conflict has eased in recent years, leading to a gradual rise in development projects and tourism.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Kashmir last week to inaugurate a tunnel and, during the event, said that numerous road and rail connectivity projects in the region would be completed in the coming days.
Afghans fleeing Taliban appeal to Trump for exemption from order suspending refugee relocation
- Estimated 15,000 Afghans are waiting to be relocated to the United States since the Taliban takeover in 2021
- Trump’s administration says US Refugee Admissions Program will be suspended from Jan. 27 for three months
ISLAMABAD: Afghans who fled after the Taliban seized power appealed Wednesday to President Donald Trump to exempt them from an order suspending the relocation of refugees to the United States, some saying they risked their lives to support US troops.
An estimated 15,000 Afghans are waiting to be relocated to the United States since the Taliban takeover in 2021, when US troops pulled out of the country after two decades. They want to resettle in the US via an American government program set up to help Afghans at risk under the Taliban because of their work with the US government, media, aid agencies and rights groups.
But in his first days in office, Trump’s administration announced the US Refugee Admissions Program would be suspended from Jan. 27 for at least three months. During that period, the White House said that the secretary of homeland security in consultation with the secretary of state will submit a report to the president whether the resumption of the program is in the US interest.
“Many of us risked our lives to support the US mission as interpreters, contractors, human rights defenders, and allies,” an advocacy group called Afghan USRAP Refugees — named after the US refugee program — said in an open letter to Trump, members of Congress and human rights defenders.
“The Taliban regards us as traitors, and returning to Afghanistan would expose us to arrest, torture, or death,” the group said. “In Pakistan, the situation is increasingly untenable. Arbitrary arrests, deportations, and insecurity compound our distress.”
Hadisa Bibi, a former student in Kabul who fled to neighboring Pakistan last month, said she read in newspapers that Trump suspended the refugee program.
“Prior to restrictions on women’s education in Afghanistan, I was a university student,” she said. “Given the risks I face as a women’s rights advocate, I was hoping for a swift resettlement to the United States. This would not only allow me to continue my higher education but also offer a safer and brighter future.”
She said she witnessed several Afghans arrested by Pakistani police, which left her in fear, “confined to my room like a prisoner.”
According to the Afghan USRAP Refugees group, flights to the US for many Afghans had been scheduled for January, February and March after they were interviewed by the International Organization for Migration and US Embassy officials.
“We seek the reversal of the ban on the refugee program on humanitarian ground,” said Ahmad Shah, a member of the group, who was hoping to leave Pakistan for the United States in March after undergoing all interviews and medical tests.
Turkiye detains nine people over ski resort hotel fire that killed 76
- 12-story hotel, which had 238 registered guests, was consumed by flames after fire started on restaurant floor on Tuesday
- Authorities are facing growing criticism over hotel’s safety measures, as survivors reported that no fire alarms went off
ANKARA: Turkiye has detained nine people, including the owner of the hotel, in connection with a deadly fire that claimed the lives of 76 people and injured dozens at a ski resort in western Turkiye, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said early Wednesday.
Yerlikaya also reported that the bodies of 45 victims had been handed over to their families, while DNA tests were being conducted to identify the remaining bodies at the forensic institute.
The fire occurred at the Grand Kartal Hotel in the Kartalkaya ski resort in the Bolu mountains.
The hotel, where the fire broke out, expressed deep sorrow in a statement on Wednesday and pledged full cooperation with the investigation.
“We are cooperating with authorities to shed light on all aspects of this incident,” the statement said. “We are deeply saddened by the losses and want you to know that we share this pain with all our hearts.”
The 12-story hotel, which had 238 registered guests, was consumed by flames after the fire started on the restaurant floor around 3:30 a.m. Survivors described scenes of panic as they fled through smoke-filled corridors and jumped from windows to escape.
Authorities are facing growing criticism over the hotel’s safety measures, as survivors reported that no fire alarms went off during the incident. Guests said they had to navigate the smoke-filled corridors in complete darkness.
President Tayyip Erdogan declared Wednesday a day of national mourning following the tragedy, which occurred during the peak of the winter tourism season, with many families from Istanbul and Ankara traveling to the Bolu mountains for skiing.
UK chief legal adviser signed letter saying Israeli policies could 'amount to apartheid'
- Jewish Cabinet member Lord Hermer was involved in British decision to withdraw objections to ICC arrest warrant against Netanyahu
- Open letter organized in 2023 by Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights, Balfour Project
LONDON: Lord Hermer, the attorney general for England and Wales, signed an open letter in 2023 that said Israeli policy in the Occupied Territories could “amount to apartheid,” the Daily Telegraph reported.
The letter labeled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government as “far right,” and warned that The Hague could rule that Israeli policy meets the legal description of apartheid.
The letter called on then-Foreign Secretary James Cleverly to avoid intervening in the International Court of Justice case against Israel.
Last July, the ICJ ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories is unlawful, but stopped short of describing the policy as apartheid.
The letter, organized by Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights and the Balfour Project, said: “The Israeli government is led by a coalition of far-right parties whose common goal is the formal annexation of the West Bank and the extension of a one-state reality of unequal rights over more than 5 million Palestinians under occupation.
“It is perfectly possible that the court will consider aspects of that situation to amount to apartheid.”
Lord Hermer, one of two Jewish members of the Cabinet, has publicly highlighted his belief in Israel’s right to defend itself, but Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s decision to appoint him was viewed by some as a sign of the UK taking a stronger position on Israel.
Lord Hermer was involved in the British decision last July to withdraw objections to the International Criminal Court’s issuance of arrest warrants against Netanyahu and his then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
In August, Lord Hermer refused to approve weapon sales to Israel until it was confirmed that international law was being abided by, during a Foreign Office review into arms transfers to the country.
France arrests new Algerian influencer as tensions soar
- The influencer is one of half a dozen Algerians arrested in France over the last month on accusations of calling for violence on French territory
PARIS: French authorities Wednesday arrested another Algerian social media influencer as tensions soar between Paris and its North African former colony, the interior minister announced.
Rafik M. had “called on Tiktok for the carrying out of violent acts on French territory,” said Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau on social media, without saying where he had been arrested.
The influencer is one of half a dozen Algerians arrested in France over the last month on accusations of calling for violence on French territory.
One of them, known as “Doualemn,” was deported to Algeria where the authorities promptly sent him back to France in a move that incensed Retailleau.
Tensions have surged between France and Algeria after President Emmanuel Macron renewed French support for Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara during a visit to the kingdom last year.
Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, is mostly under the de facto control of Morocco. But it is claimed by the Algiers-backed Sahrawi separatists of the Polisario Front, who want a self-determination referendum.
Algeria meanwhile has been holding French-Algerian novelist Boualem Sansal on national security charges. Sansal, who was arrested at Algiers airport in November, is a major figure in modern francophone literature.
Retailleau, a hard-line rightwinger, has repeatedly accused Algeria of “seeking to humiliate France.”
The far-right in France is urging the government to take tough measures against Algiers, including canceling aid, cooperation agreements and delivering visas.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said earlier this month France would have “no option but to retaliate” if “the Algerians continue to escalate” the row.
But Algeria has rejected France’s accusation of escalation, denouncing a “campaign of disinformation” by Paris.
Retailleau’s hard-line stance on a diplomatic issue has not met with universal approval in France, with influential former foreign minister and prime minister Dominique de Villepin accusing hin of “escalation” and giving into “the temptation of settling scores.”
Defense minister Sebastien Lecornu called on Tuesday for “rebuilding the relationship” between Algeria and France, while expressing regret over “the current excesses of the Algerian government.”
Retailleau himself said in an interview published Tuesday that “we now need to normalize our diplomatic relations with Algeria,” adding that “the time has come to turn the page.”
Algeria won independence from France in 1962 after a ferocious over seven year war and the scars from that conflict have never fully healed.
