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A9 WORLD NEWS A9
Thursday 31 March 2016
Thursday 31 March 2016
Syria’s Assad rejects ‘transitional body’ demanded by rebels
ZEINA KARAM the opposition’s demands. Syrian President Bashar Assad gives an interview with the BBC in Damascus, Syria. On Wednesday,
Associated Press “First of all, regarding the March 30, 2016, Assad said in an interview with Sputnik, a Russian state news agency, that Syria
BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian Presi- definition of the ‘transition- needs a national unity government that would secure the transition to a new constitution, reject-
dent Bashar Assad has al period,’ such a definition ing the “transitional body” demanded by the opposition, which wants him to step down.
proposed a national unity does not exist,” Assad said
government and rejected in the interview with Sput- (SANA via AP)
a key opposition demand nik, which published ex-
for a transitional ruling body cerpts on its website. which are set to resume A roadmap for a transition and non-sectarian gover-
with full powers, in remarks “The transition period must next month. in Syria outlined in a U.N. nance” within six months
published Wednesday that be under the current con- Sabra said a national unity Security Council resolution and set up a schedule and
could complicate interna- stitution, and we will move government that dilutes adopted in December calls process for the drafting of a
tional peace efforts. on to the new constitution the current Cabinet with for a Syrian-led political pro- new constitution to be fol-
In an interview with Russia’s after the Syrian people members of the opposition cess facilitated by the Unit- lowed by U.N.-supervised
state news agency Sputnik, vote for it,” Assad said. was “absolutely out of the ed Nations which would es- elections.q
Assad also said the recap- His comments run counter question.” tablish “credible, inclusive
ture of the ancient town of to demands by the Syrian
Palmyra from the Islamic opposition for a “transition-
State group “is a result of al body with full executive
our determination to clean powers,” which major pow-
all of Syria from terrorists.” ers agreed on at a Geneva
He said his forces would conference in June 2012.
continue to advance to- That agreement remains
ward the IS de facto capi- the basis of U.N.-mediated
tal Raqqa and the far talks which are slated to re-
eastern city of Deir el-Zour, sume in April.
which is mostly held by the “Bashar Assad can say
extremists. whatever he wants, but the
Syrian government forces, Geneva Communique and
aided by allied militias and Security Council resolu-
Russian airstrikes, have ad- tions talk about something
vanced on a number of else,” said George Sabra,
fronts in recent months, a negotiator for the High
and in the interview a vis- Negotiations Committee
ibly buoyant Assad showed representing the Syrian op-
little interest in acceding to position at talks in Geneva,
2 Russian police killed in separate bomb attacks in Dagestan
MAKHACHKALA, Rus- Dagestan has become the the border with Azerbaijan. Makhachkala. Federal po- Wednesday.
epicenter of an Islamic in- lice are regularly deployed Violence in Dagestan had
sia (AP) — A policeman surgency in Russia following The car’s driver, “recog- to Dagestan to aid local eased as law enforcement
two separatist wars in neigh- forces. agencies imposed tougher
was killed Wednesday in boring Chechnya. For more nizing the hopelessness of The Aamaq news agency, security measures ahead
than a decade, Dagestan which affiliated with the of the 2014 Winter Olym-
Russia’s restive region of has suffered bombings, at- getting away,” detonated Islamic State group, said pics in Sochi, and many mil-
tacks on police and kid- Wednesday that IS fighters itants are believed to have
Dagestan when a man be- nappings blamed on Islam- a bomb that killed both the carried out that attack. The left for Syria to fight along-
ic militants. claim could not be imme- side Islamic State extremists
ing pursued by police blew The anti-terrorism commit- driver and one policeman, diately verified. there.
tee said a police unit tried Investigators at the scene Russian authorities estimate
himself up in his car, the Na- to stop a suspicious auto- the committee said in a of Tuesday night’s attack that most of the 3,000 Rus-
mobile on the outskirts of said they found three more sians believed to have trav-
tional Anti-Terrorism Com- the village of Sirtych, about statement. bombs planted on the eled to Syria to join IS forces
25 kilometers (15 miles) from side of the targeted road come from Dagestan.q
mittee said. Earlier, Dagestan police
The explosion happened spokeswoman Fatina
hours after an explosion Ubaydatova said a bomb
Tuesday night struck a detonated Tuesday night
passing police convoy in as a convoy carrying re-
Dagestan, killing one offi- inforcements of federal
cer and wounding four oth- police was traveling south
ers. of the regional capital of
