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UP FRONTSaturday 19 December 2015

‘Agreement’ on UN draft on Syria; no mention of Assad Carter to review
Afghan security
EDITH M. LEDERER bassadors to the U.N. both The draft also says cease- each country of groups as violence rises
CARA ANNA expressed optimism ahead fire efforts should move they consider terrorist or-
Associated Press of the Security Council forward in parallel with the ganizations. He said some LOLITA C. BALDOR
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — meeting, set for 4 p.m. talks, and it asks Ban to re- countries “sent 10, 15, 20 Associated Press
U.N. Security Council mem- (2100 GMT). port within a month of the names” and others more. JALALABAD, Afghanistan
bers agreed Friday on a The draft resolution, ob- resolution’s adoption on a “Now I think there will be (AP) — Defense Secretary
resolution on a peace tained by The Associated way to monitor the cease- follow-up steps in terms of Ash Carter told his Afghan
countries meeting again to counterpart Friday that the
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, left, talks with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon after a photo set criteria which will help United States is “with you,”
session before their meeting on Syria at the United Nations, Friday, Dec. 18, 2015. filter the list,” said Judeh, committed to supporting
whose country is tasked Afghan security forces and
(AP Photo/Richard Drew) with putting the final list to- building their capabilities
gether. for years to come.
process for Syria involving Press, requests that U.N. fire. Others around the table Carter made a one-day
included the United States, visit to Afghanistan to as-
talks by representatives Secretary-General Ban The draft notes that the key European nations, Sau- sess the fragile security
di Arabia and top Syria al- situation, amid reports of
of the Damascus govern- Ki-moon convene repre- cease-fire “will not apply lies Russia and Iran. increased violence and a
Chinese Foreign Minis- growing campaign by Is-
ment and the opposition, sentatives of the Syrian to offensive or defensive ter Wang Yi said the two lamic State loyalists to gain
most important issues are a foothold in the eastern
but the draft says nothing government and opposi- actions” against groups launching political nego- part of the country. “We’re
tiations among Syrian par- with you. We stand by
on the critical issue of what tion “to engage in formal considered terrorist orga- ties and implementing a you,” Carter told Afghani-
U.N.-monitored cease-fire. stan’s Acting Defense
role President Bashar Assad negotiations on a political nizations, meaning that “Without peace talks, the Minister Masoom Stankzai
cease-fire cannot be sus- during a news conference
will play. transition process on an ur- airstrikes by Russia, France tained. Without a cease- at Operating Base Fenty
fire, peace talks cannot in Jalalabad. Carter’s visit
Diplomats had rushed to gent basis, with a target of and the U.S.-led coalition continue to produce re- comes as his top com-
sults,” he said. mander there, Gen. John
overcome divisions on the early January 2016 for the apparently would not be Wang noted the “severe Campbell, voiced con-
threat posed by interna- cerns that foreign fighters
draft resolution while world initiation of talks.” affected. tional terrorism,” a refer- from Syria and Iraq are join-
ence to the Islamic State ing with Afghans who have
powers held the latest talks Within six months, the pro- Meanwhile Friday, some group, which has exploited declared loyalty to IS in the
the chaos to seize large east, near the Pakistan bor-
on how to bring an end to cess should establish “cred- 20 foreign ministers tackled parts of Syria. der. Officials have been
A peace plan agreed to warning for some time that
the conflict, which is deep ible, inclusive and non-sec- those and other difficult is- last month by 20 nations while the presence of IS has
meeting in Vienna sets a been small, about 1,000 to
into its fifth year with well tarian governance,” with sues for a possible end to Jan. 1 deadline for the start 3,000 troops, it is attract-
of negotiations between ing disaffected members
over 300,000 killed. U.N.-supervised “free and Syria’s civil war, including Assad’s government and of the Taliban. Carter said
opposition groups. the Islamic State is “trying
The resolution has been fair elections” to be held sorting out which Syrian That deadline is “too ambi- to create little nests where
tious a timetable,” the U.N. they feel there is an op-
described as a rare ges- within 18 months. groups will represent the representative for the Syr- portunity.” He said the U.S.
ian National Coalition, the is trying to make sure they
ture of unity on the Syria The draft calls the transi- opposition in peace talks main Western-backed op- don’t gain a foothold, par-
position group, told report- ticularly in nearby Nanga-
peace process by a coun- tion Syrian-led and Syrian- in the new year. ers Friday. Najib Ghadbian har Province. Fueling those
estimated that a month of concerns is a new Pen-
cil often deeply divided on owned, stressing that the Jordanian Foreign Minister preparation is needed.q tagon report saying that
the Taliban has been em-
the crisis. “Syrian people will decide Nasser Judeh said he pre- boldened by the reduced
U.S. military presence in
The U.S. and French am- the future of Syria.” sented lists submitted from Afghanistan and attacks
increased this year.
Assad makes rare public visit at Damascus church There are about 600 U.S.
troops at Fenty, one of the
ALBERT AJI The airstrikes took place ain-based Syrian Obser- poems, media in Damas- key bases where Ameri-
BASSEM MROUE in the northwestern reb- vatory for Human Rights cus said. can troops will remain be-
Associated Press el-held town of Jisr al- said the airstrikes killed 14 Assad has been making yond 2016. Other bases
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Shughour and the casu- people. One of the killed rare public appearances have been shut down
Airstrikes in Syria report- alties included women women was pregnant, the as the fighting around the across the country as the
edly carried out by Russian and children, two activist Observatory said. country intensifies and reb- number of U.S. and coali-
warplanes killed at least 14 groups said. Meanwhile, a photograph els outside Damascus have tion forces has dropped
people on Friday, accord- One of the groups, the Lo- released by Assad’s office been hitting the city with in recent years. Overall,
ing to activists, while Presi- cal Coordination Commit- showed the president and mortar shells. there are about 14,000 U.S.
dent Bashar Assad made tees, said the air raids were his wife, Asma, inside the Earlier Friday, a top Syrian and coalition troops in the
a rare public appearance carried out by Russian war- Notre Dame de Damas opposition figure said in country.q
at a church in the capi- planes and struck residen- Church in the capital. The Saudi Arabia said Assad
tal, Damascus, attending tial buildings. The group president chatted with should have no role during
preparations for Christmas said 17 people were killed. men and women and lis- a transitional period to end
Eve, his office said. The other group, the Brit- tened to their recitals of the country’s civil war.q