Gaza: Ban Ki-moon forms independent panel to investigate recent conflict

UN,  10 November 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the formation of an internal inquiry aimed at reviewing “certain incidents” reported at United Nations facilities in the Gaza Strip during the recent summer conflict there between Palestinian factions and the State of Israel.

During his visit last month to the war-ravaged enclave, the Secretary-General called for a thorough investigation into incidents where UN facilities – including schools run by the UN agency tasked with assisting Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) – sustained hits resulting in the deaths of numerous innocent civilians and UN staff members.

Briefing Security Council, UN deputy chief urges protection for frontline ‘humanitarian heroes’

UN,19 August 2014 – United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson had one main message – “we must protect humanitarian workers” – as he marked World Humanitarian Day with a special briefing to the Security Council, addressing a subject critical to people caught in conflict.
Recalling that the Day commemorates the 19 August 2003 bombing of the UN premises at the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Mr. Eliasson said the occasion is “dedicated to the memory of all the staff members and partners who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty for the humanitarian imperative.”

Women, children allowed to leave besieged Syria city Homs

Women and children trapped in a besieged Syrian city will be permitted to leave “immediately” under a deal that marked the first tangible sign of progress in peace talks.
“What we have been told by the [Syria] government side is that women and children in the besieged area of the [Homs] old city are welcome to leave immediately,” Agence France-Presse quoted U.N. mediator Lakhdar Brahimi as telling a news conference after talks with government and opposition delegations.
“Hopefully starting tomorrow, women and children will be able to leave the Old City in Homs,” Brahimi said.
The subject of Homs -- where hundreds of families in the Old City are living under siege with near-daily shelling and the barest of supplies -- has been discussed at length since the two parties started face-to-face talks on Saturday.

Syrian regime and opposition agree to direct talks

Delegations representing the Syrian regime opposition have agreed to meet in the same room for direct talks on Saturday, UN mediator Lakhdar Brahimi said Friday.

"I met the delegations of the opposition and the government separately yesterday and again today and tomorrow we expect, we have agreed, that we will meet in the same room," Brahimi told journalists.

The meeting would start at the United Nations in Geneva at 10am (0900 GMT), he said.
A first face-to-face meeting between the two warring sides since the Syrian conflict broke out almost three years ago had been due to take place Friday as part of the ongoing Geneva 2 peace talks.
But attempts to bring the government and opposition delegations together initially stumbled, prompting Brahimi to speak to both sides separately in an effort to bring them both to the negotiating table.

Russian Arms Supplies to Syria ‘No Breach of Law’ - Putin ..... one does not really need to back the people who not only kill their enemies, but open up their bodies and eat their intestines

LONDON, June 16 (RIA Novosti) – President Vladimir Putin on Sunday defended Russia’s weapons supplies to Syria saying they are in the framework of the international law. “If we speak calmly, I want to stress that Russia supplies arms to the legitimate government of Syria in full compliance with the norms of international law and we call on our partners to act in the same way,” Putin told reporters after talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron on Sunday. “We are not breaching any rules,” Putin said. "I think you will not deny that one does not really need to back the people who not only kill their enemies, but open up their bodies and eat their intestines," Putin said referring to a video footage of a rebel eating what appeared to be a government soldier’s heart.

Lavrov: Syria Government Gaining Ground, No Need to Use Chemical Arms

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said there was no need for the Syrian government to use chemical arms since the Syrian Army was making steady advances on the ground.
"The regime, as the opposition is saying out in the open, is enjoying military success on the ground," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters during a joint press appearance with his Italian counterpart Emma Bonino. "What sense is there for the regime to use chemical arms -- especially in such small amounts?" Lavrov asked.
Russia said on Friday that US allegations Assad had used chemical weapons during the fight with the foreign-backed militants were fabricated and unconvincing.

Contemplating Syria, Hezbollah retaliation ....

Move to deflect focus from the Syrian battle to the Israeli front could provide relief for the constant media and international attention that has been focused on the Syrian conflict.

The alleged attacks by Israel against Syria, supposedly targeting an arms facility and advanced Iranian surface-to-surface missiles believed to be headed for Hezbollah, raises pressure on the Syrian regime and the Lebanese terrorist organization to make a concrete attack against Israel.

With what could be reportedly ongoing Israeli bombardments of Syrian territory for the entire world to see, it is now hard to fathom that Syria and Hezbollah would allow for much more loss of face before responding.

China frigate locked radar on Japan navy/Ο κινεζικός στόλος σημάδεψε ιαπωνικό σκάφος-Senkaku/Diaoyu issue

A Chinese military frigate locked weapons-targeting radar on a Japanese navy vessel, Tokyo's defence minister said Tuesday, in an apparent upping of the stakes in a bitter territorial row. The move, described by the minister and a Japanese analyst as "dangerous", marks the first time the two nation's navies have locked horns in a dispute that has some commentators warning about a possible armed conflict. "On January 30, something like fire-control radar was directed at a Japan Self-Defense Maritime escort ship in the East China Sea," Itsunori Onodera told reporters in Tokyo. "The defence ministry today confirmed radar for targeting was used." Onodera said a Japanese military helicopter was also locked with a similar radar on January 19. He did not specify whether the helicopter was airborne or on the deck of a ship at the time.

Turkish PM slams Israel over Syria attack

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel of waging "state terrorism" after it struck targets in Syria.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Israel of waging "state terrorism" as he condemned the air
strike on Syria as an unacceptable violation of international law.
"Those who have been treating Israel like a spoilt child should expect anything from them, at any time," said Erdogan on Sunday.
"As I say time and again, Israel has a mentality of waging state terrorism. Right now, there is no telling what it might do and where it might do it," he told reporters.

Any attack on Syria will be taken as an attack on Iran - Tehran aide

Ali Akbar Velayati, an adviser on international affairs to the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamanei, warned Saturday that any attack on Syria will be taken as an attack on Iran or its allies, according to the Reuters news agency.

Tehran has already made strongly-worded warnings against an overthrow of al-Assad, who’s engaged in a large-scale armed struggle against the opposition forces that are doing their utmost to come to power.

The conflict in Syria has been raging since March 2011.

President Assad outlines political solution to Syrian conflict

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 Syria’s president has outlined a plan to end the country's conflict, starting with a halt to international support to “al Qaeda-linked terrorist groups.” The solution proposes a new constitution and government, as well as national reconciliation.
President Bashar Assad said that his government had never refused a political solution, but would not negotiate with terrorists. He then stressed that the only solution was a Syrian proposal to end the crisis.
“The political solution entails regional and international powers halting their support for armed groups, which will be followed by a halt in our security forces' crackdown against them,” Assad said in his first public address to the people of Syria since June.

Syria shells capital area as protests surge / two generals reportedly defect.

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Ex-general Abdel Aziz Jassem al-Shallal purportedly joins rebels on YouTube, saying army turned into "murderous gangs". ( 28-Dec-2012 ) 

State warplanes pound Damascus province, as anti-regime rallies erupt across country and two generals reportedly defect.

Ρωσία και ΕΕ τάχθηκαν υπέρ των απευθείας συνομιλιών μεταξύ Παλαιστίνης και Ισραήλ

Ρωσία και ΕΕ «εκφράζουν τη σταθερή δυσαρέσκειά τους» για τα σχέδια του Ισραήλ να διευρύνει το οικιστικό οικοδομικό του πρόγραμμα.
Αυτό αναφέρεται στην κοινή δήλωση του επικεφαλής του ρωσικού ΥΠΕΞ Σεργκέι Λαβρόφ και του ύπατου εκπροσώπου της ΕΕ για τις διεθνείς υποθέσεις και την πολιτική ασφαλείας Κάθριν Έστον σχετικά με τη μεσανατολική ειρηνευτική διαδικασία.

Οι εξεγερμένοι της Συρίας προειδοποίησαν ότι θα έχουν ως στόχο το διεθνές αεροδρόμιο του Χαλεπίου.

Οι εξεγερμένοι της Συρίας προειδοποίησαν χθες Παρασκευή, 21/12/12, ότι θα έχουν ως στόχο το διεθνές αεροδρόμιο του Χαλεπίου. Η δήλωση αυτή γίνεται μετά την πρώτη άμεση στοχοποίηση πολιτικού αεροπλάνου που ετοιμαζόταν αν απογειωθεί και ήταν η πρώτη κατά την 21-μηνών εξέγερσή τους, μετέδωσε το Reuters.

Η επίθεση της Πέμπτης είναι ένα άλλο σημάδι της αυξανόμενης αυτοπεποίθησης των ανταρτών στις δυνάμεις τους καθώς άρχισαν και επιθέσεις στην κεντρική επαρχία Χάμα στοχεύοντας σε εδαφικές κατακτήσεις που θα κόψουν τις γραμμές ανεφοδιασμού του στρατού και θα αυξήσουν την πίεση στην πρωτεύουσα Δαμασκό νότια.

The geopolitical fallout of a Greek euro exit

By Tom Ellis & Achilleas Patsoukas
Geece’s debt crisis has captured international headlines over the past couple of years. Virtually all analysts have focused on Greece’s deficit and mammoth debt, which pose a threat to the entire European economy.