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WORLD NEWSSaturday 23 January 2016

Merkel and Davutoglu seek solutions to migrant crisis Syria opposition
sharply divided

DAVID RISING hosts the world’s largest half the country and en- flow of people coming to over peace talks
Associated Press number of refugees, in- abled the radical Islamic Europe.
BERLIN (AP) — German cluding more than 2.2 mil- State group to seize a third She has also been urging BEIRUT (AP) — Two days be-
Chancellor Angela Merkel lion from neighboring Syria, of its territory. Peace talks other EU members to make fore peace talks are sched-
and Turkish Prime Minister and has been struggling to planned for next week in good on their pledge of uled to begin in Geneva,
giving Turkey 3 billion eu- Syrian groups opposed to
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, and Prime Minister of Turkey, Ahmet Davutoglu, right, ros ($3.3 billion) to improve President Bashar Assad are
gesture during a military welcome ceremony for a meeting at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, conditions for the almost 3 still sharply divided on who
Friday, Jan. 22, 2016. million refugees living there. should represent them at
She said more also needs the talks, opposition offi-
(AP Photo/Michael Sohn) to be done to combat cials said Friday as a new
the networks of smugglers wave of air raids in eastern
Ahmet Davutoglu pledged keep up with the flood. Geneva are meant to start bringing the refugees to Eu- Syria killed at least 40 peo-
Friday to continue to work “The refugee crisis is not a political process to end rope, ple. One senior Kurdish offi-
intensively together to Germany’s crisis, it is not Eu- the conflict. and to provide education cial denounced the nego-
solve Europe’s migrant cri- rope’s crisis, it is not Turkey’s “I am deeply convinced and health care for those tiating team announced in
sis — not only to stem the crisis,” Davutoglu said in a that the question of illegal who have sought refuge in Saudi Arabia last week as
flow of people but to im- joint press conference with immigration can only be Turkey and other countries a “delegation of jihadis.”
prove conditions in camps Merkel. solved when we work to- neighboring Syria. Many in the opposition say
in Turkey and to try and “It is a crisis that was born gether toward resolving Heading into the meeting, Russia wants to add names
bring about a peace deal out of the crisis in Syria. If we the cause of the flood,” Davutoglu told German to the delegation that op-
in Syria. cooperate we can bring Merkel said. news agency dpa that position groups backed
Germany saw an unprec- this crisis under control. If Merkel has refused to put even 3 billion euros may by Saudi Arabia, Turkey
edented 1.1 million asylum- we throw the issue at each a cap on the number of not be enough because and Qatar announced this
seekers arrive last year, other, solving this issue will migrants allowed into Ger- nobody knows how long week in Saudi. The U.N.-
most of whom had come become more difficult.” many, but is facing grow- the crisis will last. He sug- backed talks between the
via Turkey from Syria, Iraq Syria’s five-year civil war ing domestic pressure and gested that the refugee cri- Syrian government and
and Afghanistan. has killed a quarter of a has focused on working sis has already cost Turkey opposition are scheduled
Turkey, in the meantime, million people, displaced with Turkey to help slow the $10 billion. for Monday although offi-
“We’re not begging for cials have said they might
money from the EU,” Davu- be delayed by few days.
toglu said. Abdul-Basit Sieda of the
Saudi-backed opposition
“But if there is a serious said they reject Russia’s
commitment to sharing the desire to add names to the
burden, then we have to opposition list. Another op-
sit down and talk about all position official said Mos-
the details of the crisis.” cow wants to add to the
Davutoglu also praised delegation among others,
Merkel for her open-door Qadri Jamil, a former Syr-
stance. ian deputy prime minister,
“Political leaders are re- as well as Saleh Muslim, the
membered not just for co-president of the largest
their projects, for but the Kurdish group, the Demo-
humanitarian stances they cratic Union Party or PYD.
take in difficult times,” he Turkey, which has its own
said. “The step Mrs. Merkel large and restive Kurdish
took will go down in history. population, strongly op-
The people of Syria will nev- poses any PYD participa-
er forget this humanitarian tion. The PYD’S military
stance.”q wing has been instrumen-
tal in the fight against
Spain: Rajoy declines offer to form new government the Islamic State group in
northern Syria. The official
CIARAN GILES the vast majority of depu- It was also way below the liament. If no party leader spoke on condition of an-
BARRY HATTON ties were certain to vote 186 seats it held following manages to win Parliament onymity because he was
Associated Press against him in Parliament. the previous general elec- support within two months not authorized to reveal
MADRID (AP) — Spain’s “I haven’t given up on any- tion in 2011. of the first vote, fresh elec- details about the talks.
incumbent conservative thing,” he said after meet- Felipe could now call on tions must be called. “The PYD wants to hijack
Prime Minister Mariano Ra- ing with Felipe at the end opposition Socialist party For weeks, Rajoy has the Kurdish cause in Syria,”
joy turned down an offer of a week of talks between leader Pedro Sanchez. The sought to head a minority said Sieda, himself a Kurd,
Friday by King Felipe VI to the king and party leaders. Socialists came second in government with the sup- but an opponent of the
try to form a new govern- “I didn’t say ‘no’ to my in- the election with 90 seats port of the Socialists and PYD. On Wednesday, se-
ment following last month’s vestiture, I conveyed to him and appear to have more the center-right newcomer nior opposition official, Ri-
inconclusive elections but (the king) that I didn’t have chances of mustering sup- Ciudadanos, which got yad Hijab, announced the
said he would continue to enough support yet.” port from other groups in 40 seats. But the Socialists names of opposition nego-
seek support for his candi- Rajoy’s Popular Party won Parliament. The palace have said they intend to tiators saying they will be
dacy as premier. 123 seats in the Dec. 20 said the king will begin fresh vote against him no matter headed by army defec-
More time is needed for ne- election, which was more talks with party leaders next what. In contrast, Sanchez tor Asaad al-Zoubi and in-
gotiations, Rajoy said, but than any other group but Wednesday in a bid to find earlier Friday received an clude Mohammad Alloush,
added it didn’t make sense not enough to garner a a candidate. The nominat- offer by the radical leftist a representative of an Is-
for him to present himself majority in the 350-seat ed candidate must win a Podemos group to form a lamic rebel group known
at the moment because lower house of Parliament. vote of confidence in Par- coalition government. q as the Army of Islam.q