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WORLD NEWSSaturday 13 February 2016
Diplomats aim for temporary Syria truce in a week
BASSEM MROUE eastern suburbs, according ing to the Britain-based Syr- he noted that a cessation “The real test is whether or
MATTHEW LEE to Al-Manar TV, a Lebanese ian Observatory for Human of hostilities, if achieved, not all the parties honor
Associated Press channel run by the militant Rights. It said 12 fighters of would only be a “pause” in those commitments and
BEIRUT (AP) — A diplomat- group and Syrian ally Hez- the al-Qaida-linked Nusra the fighting and that more implement them,” he told
ic push for a temporary reporters after the nearly
pause in Syria’s civil war U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, right, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attend a news six-hour meeting conclud-
and the delivery of hu- conference after the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) meeting in Munich, Germany, Fri- ed early Friday.
manitarian aid faced huge day, Feb. 12, 2016. Talks aimed at narrowing differences over Syria and keeping afloat diplomacy Kerry and Russian Foreign
hurdles Friday, with Russia to end its civil war have gotten under way in Munich. Minister Sergey Lavrov said
saying it would continue its a task force must try to deal
airstrikes and government (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) with the “modalities” of the
planes dropping leaflets temporary truce. The task
urging rebels to surrender bollah. Front were killed. work would be needed to force will include mem-
because “the belt is nar- Heavy fighting between U.S. Secretary of State John turn it into a full-fledged bers of the military along
rowing around you.” government and opposi- Kerry praised the agree- cease-fire. with representatives from
A plan for the “cessation in tion forces occurred south ment in Munich as a sig- He also said the agree- countries that are support-
violence” announced by of Aleppo, around the nificant accomplishment ments made were “com- ing various armed groups
the U.S. and Russia does not town of Tamoura, accord- in the five-year war, but mitments on paper” only. in Syria. The Syrian govern-
go into effect for a week, ment and the opposition
and while the Syrian oppo- would both have to agree
sition expressed “cautious to the details.
optimism,” it also said more That could pave the way
innocent civilians would be for a new round of peace
killed in that span. talks between President
Government forces, aid- Bashar Assad’s govern-
ed by a withering Russian ment and the opposition,
bombing campaign, are scheduled for Feb. 25 in
trying to encircle rebels Geneva. An earlier session
in Syria’slargest city of Alep- broke down last week, due
po and cut off their supply largely to gains by Assad’s
route to Turkey. Another military helped by the Rus-
week of fighting could sian airstrikes.The deal ap-
bring the Syrian troops clos- peared to be the result of
er to that goal. a compromise between
Syrian forces recaptured the United States, which
several strategic hills north had wanted an immedi-
of Aleppo and are in posi- ate cease-fire, and Russia,
tion to target the final sup- which had proposed one
ply line to the rebel-held to start on March 1. q
Saudi foreign minister defends policy at Munich meeting
GEIR MOULSON leading a military coalition said it feared that Saudi global and regional pow- Jubeir said.
Associated Press fighting Iranian-allied reb- Arabia’s ambitions to es- ers — including Iran — in “We acted in Yemen to
MUNICH (AP) — Saudi Ara- els in Yemen. Riyadh is also tablish itself as a leader in agreeing to seek a tem- prevent a legitimate gov-
bia’s foreign minister on one of the main opponents the Arab world could dam- porary “cessation of hos- ernment from collapsing
Friday defended his coun- of President Bashar Assad’s age the kingdom’s ties with tilities” in Syria. “We have and the country being tak-
try’s foreign policy and its government in Syria. its regional allies. dealt with the challenges in en over by a radical militia
stance in Yemen and Syria, Though few of Saudi Ara- Foreign Minister Adel al- the region this year in ways allied with Iran and Hezbol-
insisting that the kingdom bia’s allies have publicly Jubeir said at a security that the world maybe is not lah,” he added. “We did so
has no ambitions beyond criticized its policies, an conference in Munich Fri- used to, but that’s because in response to the request
its borders. Since tak- intelligence analysis re- day that Saudi Arabia is “a frankly there is a vacuum, of the legitimate govern-
ing power last year, King leased by Germany’s BND country that has no ambi- and if nobody’s willing to ment. We have no inten-
Salman has led his country spy agency in December tions beyond its borders” do something then the tion of seizing one inch of
toward an aggressive new cited concern over the and is guided by pragma- kingdom of Saudi Arabia Yemeni territory; we have
stance, confronting long- kingdom’s “new impulsive tism. He spoke after join- and its allies had to step no intention of trying to
time regional rival Iran by policy of intervention.” It ing foreign ministers from in and do something,” al- dominate Yemen.”q
