Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Friday 19 January 2018
Egypt raises ‘extreme concern’ about Nile dam with Ethiopia

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah ing most of a news confer- negative impact on Egypt, Egypt’s share of the Nile.
president on Thursday ex- el-Sissi has warned that ence he jointly addressed but he said studies must still Desalegn, according to
pressed his “extreme con- Egypt’s share of the Nile, with Prime Minister Haile- be completed and that all el-Sissi, wanted a different
cern” to Ethiopia’s visiting which provides nearly all its mariam Desalegn after the sides should abide by their team of experts, but the
prime minister over the freshwater, is a red line. But two held talks in Cairo. findings. He said Ethiopia Egyptian leader said the
lack of progress in talks on he has also sought to reas- El-Sissi said he appreciated has rejected Egypt’s pro- proposal still stands and
the impact of a massive sure Ethiopia and Sudan Ethiopia’s repeated assur- posal to bring in World Bank cautioned that recruiting
upstream dam that Egypt that Egypt has no intention ances that the dam, which experts as neutral arbitra- non-World Bank experts
fears could cut into its vital of going to war. is about 60 percent com- tors on the dispute over the would take much time and
share of the Nile. El-Sissi was grim-faced dur- plete, would not have a likely impact of the dam on debate.q

Syria threatens to down Turkish jets over its Kurdish region

Earlier on Thursday, Turkish ernment’s war on opposi-
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim tion areas inside the coun-
called on the U.S. to aban- try and the Islamic State
don ideas of a Syrian Kurd- group. It has been unable
ish border force, saying to stop Israeli airstrikes
that Washington has been against suspected Hezbol-
inconsistent in its state- lah targets within Syria.
ments about its plans. U.S. Secretary of State Rex
Turkish President Recep Tillerson told reporters on
Tayyib Erdogan had called Wednesday that the Unit-
the U.S.-proposed force ed States owes Turkey an
an “army of terror,” and explanation for saying that
vowed to crush it. He said it is supporting the creation
Turkey would launch a mili- of a border security force in
tary offensive against the northern Syria.
enclave of Afrin and other Tillerson said the “entire
Syrian Kurdish militia-con- situation has been mis-
trolled territories, and was portrayed, mis-described,
massing troops and tanks some people misspoke.
on its border. We are not creating a bor-
In Afrin, residents took to der security force at all.”
the streets to protest Tur- He said the U.S. intended
key’s threats, according to provide training to lo-
Syrian walk by posters of Syrian President Bashar Assad and Russian President Vladimir Putin in to photos published by the cal elements in areas liber-
Aleppo, Syria, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018. Syria said on Thursday its air defense would shoot down
any Turkish jets that carry out attacks within Syria, a stark warning as tensions soar over apparent Kurdish news agency Ha- ated from the Islamic State
preparations by the Turkish military to invade a northern Syrian Kurdish enclave. Arabic on the left war. They waved flags of group.
read, “Aleppo is your city and you need to defend it.” the Syrian Kurdish militia, Turkish leaders were not
(AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) the YPG, and also banners satisfied. Yildirim said Turkey
By PHILIP ISSA would be “no picnic” for Afrin and other areas along of Abdullah Ocalan, the had received consecutive
SUZAN FRASER Turkey. its frontier as an extension imprisoned leader of the “statements that contra-
Associated Press Any such operation would of the Kurdish insurgency outlawed Kurdistan Work- dict each other within the
BEIRUT (AP) — Syria said be considered an “aggres- within its borders and wants ers’ Party, or PKK, which past three days.”
on Thursday its air defense sive act,” Mekdad said. to prevent the establish- Turkey considers a terrorist “The U.S. must eliminate the
would shoot down any The escalation comes af- ment of a Kurdish corridor organization. confusion and change its
Turkish jets that carry out ter the United States dis- along the frontier. Mekdad, the Syrian deputy stance in favor of peace
attacks within Syria, a stark closed plans to form a The U.S. has developed foreign minister, told report- and improving relations
warning as tensions soar 30,000-strong border force close ties with the Kurdish ers in Damascus that Syria’s with Turkey,” he said during
over apparent prepara- in Syria led by the Kurdish- militia over the shared fight air force has been restored an address to police chiefs.
tions by the Turkish military dominated Syrian Demo- against IS and keeps bases to its former might after Asked about Tillerson’s
to invade a northern Syrian cratic Forces in the wake in northeast Syria with the seven years of civil war and statement, Foreign Minister
Kurdish enclave. of the victory over the Is- Kurds. But it is not believed was “ready to destroy Turk- Mevlut Cavusoglu told Tur-
From Damascus, Deputy lamic State group. Turkey to maintain any American ish air targets in the skies of key’s CNN-Turk television in
Foreign Minister Faysal Me- reacted angrily to the an- forces in Afrin, an enclave the Syrian Arab Republic.” an interview that “we are
kdad said a military incur- nouncement. that is not linked to the bulk Syria’s air force suffered a not satisfied” and that An-
sion into Syria’s Kurdish- Turkey regards the Syrian of Kurdish-run territory in number of plane and he- kara’s mistrust of the U.S. is
controlled enclave of Afrin Kurdish militia that controls Syria. licopter losses in the gov- “continuing.”q
UK helicopters join French counterterror mission in Africa

By JILL LAWLESS and military cooperation. The British government France has led efforts to liberal democracies in the
Associated Press The two countries will prom- says May will announce fight al-Qaida and IS-linked face of any threat, whether
LONDON (AP) — Britain ise to step up efforts against she is sending three Chi- jihadi groups in the vast Sa- at home or abroad.” One
said Wednesday that it will violent extremism during a nook heavy-lift helicopters hel region south of the Sa- topic not high on the agen-
send three Royal Air Force Thursday meeting between and dozens of personnel hara desert. da is Brexit. Britain wants
helicopters to join France’s British Prime Minister The- to Mali to provide logisti- May said U.K.-French sum- the meeting to underscore
military mission against Is- resa May and French Presi- cal support for thousands mit “will underline that we how the close relationship
lamic militants in Africa’s dent Emmanuel Macron of French troops fighting remain committed to de- between the two neigh-
Sahel region as part of clos- at the Sandhurst military alongside African forces in fending our people and bors won’t suffer when Brit-
er U.K.-French intelligence academy near London. a counterterrorism mission. upholding our values as ain leaves the EU in 2019.q