Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 29 March 2017

Abbas expects Arab summit backing ahead of talks with Trump

A 2002 Arab peace plan, At the same time, he said,
which offers Israel normal there are “lots of ques-
ties with dozens of Arab tions from the American
and Muslim states in ex- side at this stage, and we
change for withdrawing answered all of their ques-
from war-won lands sought tions.” Abbas initially feared
for a Palestinian state, is to he would be sidelined by
be reaffirmed when heads the Trump administration,
of state meet Wednesday. which early on embraced
On the eve of the sum- Israeli Prime Minister Benja-
mit, Abbas met with U.S. min Netanyahu. Trump has
President Donald Trump’s since invited Abbas to the
international envoy, Jason White House, a meeting
Greenblatt, who has been Abbas said he expects to
shuttling between Israel, take place in late April or
the West Bank and Jordan early May. Greenblatt met
in recent weeks to assess Tuesday with the Qatari
prospects for reviving Israe- and Egyptian foreign minis-
li-Palestinian negotiations ters as well as the European
after years of paralysis. Union’s foreign policy chief
Israeli settlement construc- on the sidelines of the sum-
tion has been a major ob- mit. In Twitter messages,
Jordan’s King Abdullah II, center, greets Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir, left, upon his arrival stacle to resuming talks. Greenblatt said he was
at Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Jordan, Tuesday, March 28, 2017. The Palestinian Abbas has said he can’t talking to them about ways
president said Tuesday that he expects this year’s Arab summit to deliver a “clear message to the negotiate while Israel con- to support Israeli-Palestinian
world” about Palestinian rights.
(AP Photo/Raad Adayleh) tinues to build more homes peace efforts.
for Jews on occupied Earlier Tuesday, King Abdul-
M. DARAGHMEH Mahmoud Abbas spoke to eral of more than a dozen lands. Greenblatt has talk- lah II of Jordan welcomed
Associated Press reporters on the sidelines of draft resolutions deal with ed to Israel’s leader about Arab leaders arriving for
DEAD SEA, Jordan (AP) — the summit, which brought the Palestinian issue. construction curbs. the summit, including Su-
The Palestinian president together kings, presidents Abbas said he expects the Referring to the settlements, danese President Omar al-
said Tuesday that he ex- and top officials from 21 summit to give full backing Abbas said Tuesday that Bashir, who is being sought
pects this year’s Arab sum- Arab countries. to the Palestinian positions “we are now waiting how by the International Crimi-
mit to deliver a “clear mes- The long-stalled Palestinian and to deliver a “clear mes- things are being dealt with nal Court on charges of
sage to the world” about quest for statehood is a key sage to the world about between them (the Ameri- genocide, war crimes and
Palestinian rights. issue at the gathering. Sev- Palestinian rights.” cans) and the Israelis.” crimes against humanity. q
Russia general claims US-led coalition hit dam in Syria

HOWARD AMOS A U.S.-backed Syrian oppo- deaths, he said. an email on Sunday. Iraq.
Associated Press sition force has insisted it is On Monday, the U.S.-led Engineers who used to work With SDF forces to the north
MOSCOW (AP) — A senior taking care to preserve vi- coalition reiterated that it is at the site have expressed and west of Raqqa, a push
Russian general on Tuesday tal infrastructure as it steps taking every precaution to doubt that the spillway on the city is shaping up to
accused the U.S.-led co- up military operations in ensure the integrity of the could accommodate the be the next major battle.
alition fighting the Islamic northern Syria ahead of a dam. water flow but said it will Last week, U.S. aircraft fer-
State of targeting Syria’s push on Raqqa, the de fac- “To our knowledge, the still take at least a month ried hundreds of SDF fight-
infrastructure — including to capital of the IS group’s dam has not been structur- for the lake to reach critical ers, as well as American ar-
a key dam — in territory self-styled caliphate. ally damaged,” it said on its levels if the gates are not tillery and military advisers,
held by the Sunni extremist Rudskoi further claimed Twitter account. opened. behind IS lines.
group. that coalition jets had de- A spillway north of the IS has warned that the President Bashar Assad’s
Col. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi of stroyed four bridges over structure is under control of dam’s main gates are out government has objected
the military’s General Staff the Euphrates River in Syria the U.S.-backed and Kurd- of service, causing water to U.S. involvement, saying
said the coalition was try- and hit the Tabqa dam to ish-led opposition group levels to rise. that American forces are
ing to “completely destroy the west of Raqqa. known as the Syrian Demo- Pressure on IS has intensi- not authorized to be on Syr-
critical infrastructure in Syria The collapse of the dam cratic Forces, and can be fied in recent months as the ian soil. For its part, Moscow
and complicate post-war would cause an “eco- used to relieve pressure be- group has suffered a series prefers seeing Syrian gov-
reconstruction as much as logical catastrophe” and hind the dam, the coalition of battlefield reverses in ernment forces leading the
possible.” lead to “numerous” civilian told The Associated Press in both Syria and neighboring assault on Raqqa.q