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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 24 July 2018

Syria blasts evacuation of White Helmets as 'criminal'

By PHILIP ISSA with Jordan, to organize
Associated Press refugee returns. The group
BEIRUT (AP) — The Syrian would be linked to a U.S.-
government on Monday Russian-Jordanian center
condemned a multilateral set up last year in Jordan
operation to evacuate for monitoring a cease-
hundreds of rescue workers fire in southwest Syria, said
from the war-torn country Major-General Milkahil Miz-
as a "criminal process" in- intsev.
tended to de-stabilize Syria. "Active progress in this di-
Syrian authorities have long rection is promoted by the
described the Civil Defense agreements reached" last
search-and-rescue group, week by President Donald
which are popularly known Trump and Russian Presi-
as the White Helmets, as a dent Vladimir Putin at their
terror organization. summit in Finland, he said
The group rose to promi- Friday.
nence as it filmed its opera- He added that "specific
tions to rescue civilians from proposals have been sent
Syrian government airstrikes to the American side for or-
in the country's brutal civil ganizing work on the return
war. The government has of refugees to their places
alleged the group stages In this Wednesday, June 14, 2017 photo, civil defense workers carrying children after airstrikes hit of permanent residence."
videos. Damascus's ally Rus- a school housing a number of displaced people, in Daraa province of Syria. A similar operation would
sia has accused the group Associated Press be established in Lebanon,
of staging chemical weap- he said.
ons attacks on civilians and The rescuers and their fami- Jumana Ghunaimat said couraging the return when Lebanon's National News
blaming them on the gov- lies are expected to be re- her country has not been tension calms down be- Agency reported Monday
ernment, a charge that has settled in Europe and Can- asked to receive another cause the refugees consti- that hundreds of refugees
never been proven. ada. group of White Helmets. tute a heavy burden on the return to Syria from Leba-
On Saturday, more than Germany's Interior Ministry Ghunaimat also said Jor- kingdom in the light of the non. It is the latest in a string
400 rescuers and their fam- confirmed on Monday that danian Foreign Minister Ay- international community's of returns this year. Presi-
ily members were evacu- the country would give asy- man Safadi and his Russian inability to cover the costs," dent Michel Aoun's Free
ated from Syria's Quneitra lum to eight rescuers and counterpart, Sergey Lav- she said. Patriotic Movement party
province through Israel to 39 family members. rov, on Sunday discussed More than 5 million people has put refugee returns
Jordan, after the rebels German Interior Minister "preliminary ideas" about have fled Syria during its near the top of its political
surrendered the last areas Horst Seehofer said on the possible return of Syr- seven-year-long civil war, agenda.
they held in the southwest- Sunday giving the rescue ian refugees to their home- according to the U.N. The National News Agen-
ern province to the govern- workers shelter "is a human- land, but that "we cannot Last week, Russia's Defense cy said 850 Syrians living
ment. itarian obligation," adding talk about return while the Ministry said it proposed to around the border town of
Syria's foreign ministry that more than 250 White crisis in Syria is not yet over." the United States the cre- Arsal were repatriated on
called it a "smuggling op- Helmets have been killed in "Jordan is willing and en- ation of a joint group, along Monday.q
eration" that was evidence the war since 2013. Foreign
of a Western conspiracy to Minister Heiko Maas was
overthrow the government. quoted as saying that "the
The White Helmets have fi- efforts of the White Helmets
nancial backing from the deserve admiration and re-
U.S., Britain, and other na- spect."
tions. Germany has provided the
The unprecedented opera- group with 12 million eu-
tion was spearheaded by ros ($14 million) in funding
the U.S., Canada, and Brit- since 2016.
ain, The Associated Press Meanwhile, Jordanian
reported on Friday. government spokeswoman