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A6 WORLD NEWS
Friday 23 OctOber 2020
Putin: Russia-China military alliance can't be ruled out

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV lenge from former Vice
Associated Press President Joe Biden, whose
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian campaign has accused
President Vladimir Putin Trump of being soft on Rus-
said Thursday there is no sia.
need for a Russia-China New START was signed in
military alliance now, but 2010 by then-U.S. President
noted it could be forged in Barack Obama and then-
the future. Russian President Dmitry
Putin's statement signaled Medvedev. The pact limits
deepening ties between each country to no more
Moscow and Beijing amid than 1,550 deployed nucle-
growing tensions in their ar warheads and 700 de-
relations with the United ployed missiles and bomb-
States. The Russian leader ers, and envisages sweep-
also made a strong call for ing on-site inspections to
extending the last remain- verify compliance.
ing arms control pact be- Russia had offered to ex-
tween Moscow and Wash- tend the pact without any
ington. conditions, while the Trump
Asked during a video con- administration initially insist-
ference with internation- ed that it could only be re-
al foreign policy experts newed if China agreed to
Thursday whether a military join. China has refused to
union between Moscow consider the idea. The U.S.
and Beijing was possible, recently modified its stance
Putin replied that "we don't and proposed a one-year
need it, but, theoretically, Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks as he participates in the annual meeting of the Valdai extension of the treaty, but
it's quite possible to imag- Discussion Club via video conference at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Russia, said it must be coupled with
ine it." Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020. the imposition of a broader
Russia and China have Associated Press cap on nuclear warheads.
hailed their "strategic part- significantly boost China's will develop," the Russian extending the New START The Kremlin initially resisted
nership," but so far rejected military potential, but didn't president said, adding that treaty that expires in Febru- Washington's demand, but
any talk about the possibil- mention any specifics, say- "we won't exclude it." ary, Russia's last arms con- its position shifted this week
ity of their forming a military ing the information was Russia has sought to devel- trol pact with the United with the Russian Foreign
alliance. sensitive. op stronger ties with China States. Ministry stating that Mos-
Putin pointed to the war "Without any doubt, our as its relations with the West Earlier this week, the United cow can accept a freeze
games that the armed cooperation with China is sank to post-Cold War lows States and Russia signaled on warheads if the U.S.
forces of China and Rus- bolstering the defense ca- over Moscow's annexation their readiness to accept agrees to put forward no
sia held as a signal of the pability of China's army," he of Ukraine's Crimea, accu- compromises to salvage additional demands.
countries' burgeoning mili- said, adding that the future sations of Russian meddling the New START treaty just Putin didn't address the is-
tary cooperation. could see even closer mili- in the 2016 U.S. presidential two weeks ahead of the sue of the freeze on war-
Putin also noted that Russia tary ties between the two election and other rifts. U.S. presidential election heads, but he emphasized
has shared sensitive military countries. Putin on Thursday empha- in which President Donald the importance of salvag-
technologies that helped "The time will show how it sized the importance of Trump faces a strong chal- ing New START.q

Report: Bombing kills Syrian cleric key to deals with rebels

Adnan Afiouni took place rebels and opposition-held tated Syria and left millions
in the town of Qudsaya, areas. He was one of the homeless, displaced, im-
west of the capital of Da- mediators of the 2016 deal prisoned or dead.
mascus. It was not known under which rebel fight- Assad described his oppo-
who planted the roadside ers in Daraya, a key town nents, including those who
bomb and no group imme- in Damascus suburbs, sur- carried arms, as terrorists
diately claimed responsibil- rendered after a four-year and empowered Islamic
ity for the attack. grueling siege and military clerics and the ministry of
The cleric was first reported campaign. The rebel fight- Awqaf to play a key role
wounded and then de- ers and remaining residents in combatting extremism.
clared dead soon after. were evacuated to the Assad appointed Afiouni
Syria's ministry of religious northwestern province of in 2019 to head the newly-
endowment, or Awqaf, an- Idlib and government forc- founded Islamic al-Sham
nounced Afiouni's death, es entered the destroyed Center to combat terror-
In this photo released on May, 20, 2019 by the Syrian official calling it a terrorist act. town in 2016. ism.
news agency SANA, shows Syrian President Bashar Assad, left, Damascus and its suburbs Daraya was one of the first At the time, Afiouni said
listens to Damascus Mufti Mohammed Adnan Afiouni, right, at have largely been free of towns to stage a protest the center — which was
an Islamic center, in Damascus, Syria. violence or attacks as the against Assad's govern- to teach and train Islamic
Associated Press government tightened its ment in 2011. The protests clerics while aiming to also
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — with rebel fighters, accord- control of the area, expel- were met with a violent host international scholars
A roadside bombing on ing to Syrian state media ling rebel fighters.Afiouni government crackdown, — would play a role to re-
Thursday killed a senior Syr- and a government website. had been a key figure in and the crisis eventually de- form extremist ideas spread
ian cleric who played a key The explosion that killed Da- the government's so-called scended into a full-blown during the years of the
role in government deals mascus Mufti Mohammed reconciliation deals with civil war that has devas- conflict.q