Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Monday 31 July 2017

Exchange of bodies ahead of Syria-Lebanon border plan

al-Sham Front is expected The exchange, like the
to leave the border region battles that preceded it,
in the coming stages, fol- underscores Hezbollah’s
lowing two weeks of battles clout in regional affairs as it
with Hezbollah and the Syr- clears the border of al-Qai-
ian army. da and Islamic State group
But the Front announced militants, with the Leba-
Sunday it had captured nese government largely a
three Hezbollah fighters, bystander.
one day after Hezbollah U.S. President Donald Trump
admitted a group had credited the Lebanese
gone missing in the Arsal government with standing
border region. up to Hezbollah, last week,
It was not immediately but the Lebanese Army as-
clear whether the revela- sumed a defensive position
tion would affect the deal behind Hezbollah lines in
underway to resettle the the course of the battles in
Fatah al-Sham Front. the Arsal badlands.
The Lebanese militant Hezbollah is also a mem-
group Hezbollah handed ber of Prime Minister Saad
over the bodies of nine al- Hariri’s government.
Qaida fighters in exchange The U.S. classifies Hezbollah
for the bodies of five of its as a terrorist organization.
A Hezbollah fighters sits in a four-wheel motorcycle positioned at the site where clashes erupted
between Hezbollah and al-Qaida-linked fighters in Wadi al-Kheil or al-Kheil Valley in the Leba- own, according to the He- The Syrian military provided
non-Syria border, Saturday, July 29, 2017. A cease-fire went into effect between the militant He- zbollah’s Al-Manar TV sta- air support to Hezbollah’s
zbollah group and al-Qaida-linked fighters on Thursday morning as negotiations were underway tion. ground operations around
to reach a deal that would eventually lead to the evacuation of Syrian fighters to the northwestern Lebanese Red Cross Arsal. Hezbollah’s Secretary
rebel-held province of Idlib. The truce followed a six-day offensive by Hezbollah and Syrian troops spokesman George Kattani General,
who besieged al-Qaida-linked fighters in a small border area. says a woman and child Hassan Nasrallah, said in
(AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
were also handed over a speech Wednesday his
PHILIP ISSA Al-Qaida exchanged the stage of an agreement to to the al-Qaida affiliate, fighters fought “shoulder
Associated Press bodies of dead fighters restore order to a contest- known as the Nusra Front to shoulder” with Syrian sol-
BEIRUT (AP) — Hezbollah along the Lebanese-Syrian ed frontier zone. and recently rebranded as diers on the Syrian side of
and a Syrian affiliate to border on Sunday in the first The al-Qaida-linked Fatah Fatah al-Sham Front. the border. q
Arab states open to dialogue with Qatar if demands are met

By AYA BATRAWY Arab Emirates, Egypt and continue to keep current Qatar on condition it an- promote its policies. Other
Associated Press Bahrain since the countries measures against Qatar in nounces its sincere desire demands include closing a
DUBAI, United Arab Emir- cut diplomatic ties and place, but are open to dia- to stop supporting and Turkish military base in Qa-
ates (AP) — Four Arab transport links with Qatar logue with the Gulf state funding terrorism... and im- tar, limiting ties with Iran,
states that cut ties with Qa- on June 5. if it shows a willingness to plements the 13 demands expelling Islamist political
tar met Sunday to discuss The quartet accuses Qa- change course and com- that ensure peace and opposition figures and pay-
the diplomatic crisis, insist- tar of supporting extremists plies with their demands. stability in the region and ing restitution for victims of
ing on compliance with a and interfering in the affairs Bahrain’s Foreign Minister world,” said Sheikh Khalid terrorism allegedly linked to
list of sweeping demands of other Arab states. Qatar read a statement by the bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa. Qatar.
while refraining for now denies the charges and ministers that said the bloc The list includes demands Qatar rejects the list as an
from imposing more puni- sees them as politically mo- was still insistent that Qatar that Qatar stop terrorism affront to its sovereignty,
tive measures against the tivated. After their meeting comply with a list of 13 de- financing, but also that it but has vowed to combat
Gulf state. in Bahrain’s capital, Mana- mands the countries had shut down its flagship Al terrorism financing and in
It was the second meeting ma, the four foreign minis- previously issued. Jazeera news network, recent weeks issued a de-
for the foreign ministers of ters held a joint press con- “The four countries are which the quartet say has cree revising the country’s
Saudi Arabia, the United ference, saying the bloc will ready for dialogue with been used by Qatar to counterterrorism laws.q