France: Syria’s Assad not looking for peace, committing mass crimes

A man holds his child's body after it was taken from under the rubble after a reported airstrike on an opposition-held neighborhood in Aleppo in this file photo. (AFP)
Updated 16 December 2017
Follow

France: Syria’s Assad not looking for peace, committing mass crimes

PARIS: France on Friday accused Syria of doing nothing to reach a peace agreement after almost seven years of war and said it was “committing mass crimes” in the Eastern Ghouta region where 400,000 people are besieged by government forces.
UN-led peace talks in Geneva ended on Thursday with UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura laying most of the blame for the failure of the round at the feet of the regime side.
“The Assad regime never entered in any negotiation since the beginning of the civil war,” France’s Ambassador to the US Gerard Araud said on Twitter. “They don’t look for a political compromise but for the eradication of their enemies.”
Despite being a leading backer of the Syrian opposition, France has sought a more pragmatic approach to the Syrian conflict since the arrival of President Emmanuel Macron, saying that the departure of Bashar Assad was not a pre-condition for talks.
However, on Friday the lack of progress in Geneva and continuing assault of the besieged rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta near Damascus brought scathing criticism from Paris.
“There is no alternative to a negotiated political solution agreed by both parties under the auspices of the United Nations,” Deputy Foreign Ministry Spokesman Alexandre Giorgini told reporters in a daily briefing, reiterating Paris’ support for de Mistura and appearing to dismiss a separate Russian initiative planned in Sochi next year.
“We deplore the attitude of the Syrian regime, which has refused to engage in the discussion. The Syrian regime is responsible for the lack of progress in the negotiations,” he said.
He also pointed the finger at Russia and Iran, who both back Assad, over their inability to enforce a cease-fire in Eastern Ghouta, which according to a Sept. 15 accord between Russia, Turkey and Iran, is included among several de-escalation zones.
“It is therefore urgent that Russia and Iran, guarantors of the Astana process and allies of the Damascus regime, take steps for the cessation of the bombings and (enable) humanitarian aid to arrive safely and without those who need it being hindered,” Giorgini said.
The UN says about 400,000 civilians are besieged and face “complete catastrophe” because aid deliveries by the Syrian government were blocked and hundreds of people who need urgent medical evacuation have not been allowed outside the enclave.
“By denying humanitarian access, the Damascus regime is responsible for mass crimes, particularly through the use of the siege as a weapon of war,” Giorgini said.


FBI adds Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan to most-wanted list over 2007 agent abduction

Updated 6 min 41 sec ago
Follow

FBI adds Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan to most-wanted list over 2007 agent abduction

  • Special Agent Robert Levinson disappeared from Iran’s Kish Island, with US blaming three Iranian officials
  • FBI says Tehran tried to shift blame on a militant group operating in Pakistan’s volatile Balochistan region

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Tuesday added Iran’s current ambassador to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghadam, to its list of most wanted individuals, accusing him and two other Iranian officials of involvement in the 2007 abduction of a retired special agent from Iran’s Kish Island.

The FBI said the release of “Seeking Information” posters featuring the three senior Iranian officials was part of its ongoing investigation into Robert A. “Bob” Levinson’s disappearance and Iran’s alleged efforts to conceal its responsibility.

The other two named individuals are Taghi Daneshvar, identified as a counterespionage officer in Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) and Gholamhossein Mohammadnia, a senior MOIS deputy who served as Iran’s ambassador to Albania before being expelled in 2018.

“These three intelligence officers were among those who allegedly facilitated Bob’s 2007 abduction and the subsequent cover-up by the Iranian government,” Steven Jensen, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office, said in the statement. “Bob likely later perished in captivity far away from his family, friends, and colleagues.”

“The FBI will continue its relentless pursuit to hold anyone involved in his abduction to account for their reprehensible actions,” he added.

According to the FBI, Moghadam, also known as Ahmad Amirinia, led MOIS’s operations unit at the time of Levinson’s abduction. The agency said European-based MOIS agents reported to him in Tehran.

The statement said authorities in Tehran attempted to shift blame for the FBI agent’s abduction onto a militant group operating in Pakistan’s Balochistan region.

The FBI continues to offer a reward of up to $5 million for information that leads to Levinson’s location, recovery and return.

In addition, the US State Department’s Rewards for Justice program is offering up to $20 million for relevant information in the case.


Iran seizes foreign tanker for smuggling 2 million liters of fuel

Updated 8 min 38 sec ago
Follow

Iran seizes foreign tanker for smuggling 2 million liters of fuel

  • The judiciary official added that 17 crew members were arrested

DUBAI: A foreign tanker was seized by Iran in the Gulf of Oman for smuggling 2 million liters of fuel, the chief justice of Hormozgan province said on Wednesday, according to Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency.
“During the continuous process of monitoring and surveilling suspicious fuel smuggling movements in the Gulf of Oman, officers inspected a foreign tanker due to its lack of legal documents regarding its cargo and seized it on charges of carrying 2 million liters of smuggled fuel,” Hormozgan’s Chief Justice Mojtaba Ghahremani said, according to the report.
The judiciary official added that 17 crew members were arrested and that a judicial case was opened at the Jask county prosecutor’s office.
There was no additional information regarding the name of the tanker or the flag to which it is registered.
Iran, which has some of the world’s lowest fuel prices due to heavy subsidies and the plunge in the value of its national currency, has been fighting rampant fuel smuggling by land to neighboring countries and by sea to Gulf Arab states.
“The actions of fuel smugglers, who in coordination with foreigners, attempt to plunder national wealth will not remain hidden from the judiciary and punishment of perpetrators, if their crimes are proven, will be without leniency,” Ghahremani said, according to the report. 


Ethiopia arrests dozens of suspected Daesh militants, Fana broadcaster reports

Updated 9 min 20 sec ago
Follow

Ethiopia arrests dozens of suspected Daesh militants, Fana broadcaster reports

  • The 82 suspects were part of Daesh’s Somalia affiliate
  • The Daesh faction in Somalia has become an increasingly important part of its parent organization’s worldwide network

ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopia has arrested dozens of suspected Daesh militants, who it claimed have been trained and deployed to carry out operations across the country, the state-affiliated Fana broadcaster reported.
The 82 suspects were part of Daesh’s Somalia affiliate, which operates in the semi-autonomous Puntland region, according to a statement by the National Intelligence Security Services which was shared with Fana.
The Daesh faction in Somalia has become an increasingly important part of its parent organization’s worldwide network in recent years.
“NISS has been closely monitoring the group’s cross-border infiltration strategies and its efforts to establish sleeper cells in Ethiopia,” Fana reported late on Tuesday.
With an estimated 700 to 1,500 fighters, Daesh’s Somalia wing has grown in recent years thanks to an influx of foreign fighters and increasing revenues.
But it is still much smaller than Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabab militant group, which controls large parts of southern and central Somalia.
The US military has carried out periodic air strikes against the group for years and recently intensified the strikes since President Donald Trump took office.
Puntland government forces have captured large portions of territory from IS since announcing a major offensive against them in December.


One dead after Ukrainian drone attack on Russia, governor says

Updated 24 min 13 sec ago
Follow

One dead after Ukrainian drone attack on Russia, governor says

MOSCOW: One person has died in Russia's Voronezh region after being wounded in a Ukrainian drone attack, Voronezh Governor Alexander Gusev said on Wednesday on his Telegram channel.


England’s Archer keen to play remaining India Tests, Ashes

Updated 27 min 32 sec ago
Follow

England’s Archer keen to play remaining India Tests, Ashes

  • Archer: I can play the other two (against India) if they let me. I don’t want to lose this series
  • Archer made his Test comeback at Lord’s in the third Test, bowling at full tilt to claim five wickets, including three in the second innings as England clinched a 22-run victory to go 2-1 up in the five-match series

LONDON: After missing four years of Test duty due to injury, England speedster Jofra Archer is keen to make up for lost time and says he wants to play the final two Tests against India and prove he deserves a place in the squad for the Ashes series in Australia.

Archer made his Test comeback at Lord’s in the third Test, bowling at full tilt to claim five wickets, including three in the second innings as England clinched a 22-run victory to go 2-1 up in the five-match series.

England management, men’s managing director Rob Key in particular, have been careful about Archer’s workload since his recovery from elbow and back injuries but the bowler is raring to go.

“I can play the other two (against India) if they let me,” Archer told Sky Sports.

“I don’t want to lose this series. I told ‘Keysey’ I wanted to play the test summer and I wanted to play the Ashes.

“I think one tick is already there and I will do everything possible in my power to be on the plane in November.”

It was Archer’s first Test since coach Brendon ‘Baz’ McCullum and captain Ben Stokes took the helm in 2022 and implemented an exciting result-oriented approach.

Archer was happy how his reintegration into the Test squad had been handled.

“Obviously it would have been the format which would have taken the most time to come back to. So I played 50-over and T20 for the last year and a half, two years,” he said.

“The guys have played some really exciting cricket since Baz took over. I think the mentality of the team under Baz suits the way I like to play my cricket.

“I just couldn’t wait to get back and actually do it without having to be prompted to do it.”

The fourth Test against India begins on July 23 in Manchester.