Page 2 - ARUBA TODAY

A2 UP FRONT
Friday 3 March 2017
Syrian army retakes town of Palmyra as IS folds Donors pledge nearly $200

ZEINA KARAM million for family planning
DOMINIQUE SOGUEL
Associated Press RAF CASERT cies in developing nations,
BEIRUT (AP) — Syria’s mili- Associated Press riffing off Trump’s “Make
tary announced on Thurs- BRUSSELS (AP) — Na- America Great Again”
day it has fully recaptured tions and philanthropists campaign slogan.
the historic town of Pal- pledged close to $200 Belgium, Denmark, Norway
myra from the Islamic State million Thursday for fam- and the Netherlands con-
group as the militants’ de- ily planning at an inter- tributed 10 million euros
fenses crumbled and IS national conference that each, while other countries
fighters fled in the face of aimed to make up for the made smaller contribu-
artillery fire and intense gap left by President Don- tions. Because the confer-
Russia-backed airstrikes. ald Trump’s ban on U.S. ence was organized on
The development marks funding to groups linked to short notice, many nations
the third time that the town Syrian forces take up positions during fighting between Govern- abortion. could not make official
ment forces and Islamic State group militants in the ancient city
— famed for its priceless Ro- of Palmyra, near Homs, Syria, Thursday, March 2, 2017. In all, 57 nations attended pledges yet for technical
man ruins and archaeolog- (SANA via AP) the hastily convened one- budgetary reasons, orga-
ical treasures IS had sought tion in Switzerland. the help of Russian air cov- day conference in Brus- nizers said.
to destroy — has changed “You are all invited to visit er and in cooperation with sels and the funding drive “Some need a little bit more
hands in one year. the historic city of Palmyra “allied and friendly troops” was boosted by Sweden, time,” Ploumen said. Rep-
It was also the second and witness its beauty, now — government shorthand Canada and Finland each resentatives from African
blow for the Islamic State that it has been liberated,” for members of Lebanese promising 20 million euros and Asian countries were
group in Syria in a week, the Damascus envoy to the militant Hezbollah group ($21 million). The private Bill also the conference, as
after Turkish backed op- U.N.-mediated talks, Bashar who are fighting along & Melinda Gates Founda- well as private donors and
position fighters seized the al-Ja’afari, told reporters in Syrian President Bashar tion also provided $20 mil- officials from the European
Syrian town of al-Bab from Geneva.“Of course, coun- Assad’s forces.IS defenses lion. Union and the United Na-
the militants on Feb. 23, terterrorism operations will around Palmyra had be- Conference host and Bel- tions and private donors.
following a grueling three continue until the last inch gun to erode on Sunday, gian Deputy Premier Alex- De Croo said the funding
month battle. In neighbor- of our territory is liberated with government troops ander De Croo said one drive would continue at an
ing Iraq, the Sunni extremist from the hands of these for- reaching the town’s out- anonymous U.S. donor international meeting later
group is fighting for survival eign terrorist organizations, skirts on Tuesday. The state committed $50 million, this year.
in its last urban bastion in which are wreaking havoc SANA news agency report- pushing the total up to a At EU headquarters, half a
the western part of the city in our country,” he added. ed earlier that government provisional 181 million euros dozen anti-abortion activ-
of Mosul. The Damascus military troops had entered the ($190 million). ists were protesting with a
For the Syrian government, statement said troops town’s archaeological site, One of Trump’s first acts as banner “Abortion: Not with
the news was a welcome gained full control of the a UNESCO World Heritage president was to withhold my taxes.” The conference
development against the desert town in central Syria Site, around mid-day, then an estimated half billion stressed that abortion was
backdrop of peace talks following a series of military the town itself, as IS mili- dollars a year in funding only a small part of fam-
underway with the opposi- operations carried out with tants fled the area.q from international groups ily planning in developing
that perform abortions or nations. It emphasized the
provide information about need for more sex edu-
them. The Trump adminis- cation and greater avail-
tration said the ban is nec- ability of contraceptives.
essary because it doesn’t Participants also warned
want to provide funds for about the dangers of sexu-
something it considers mor- ally related diseases and of
ally wrong. female genital mutilation.
Officials in many European The U.S funding ban
nations and around the “threaten to suspend a
world say the move hurts large number of projects
women and girls who need helping to defend the
family planning the most health of millions of girls,
and will lead to more abor- even helping to save their
tions, not fewer. lives,” Finnish Development
“I hope that he now sees Minister Kai Mykkanen said.
that everybody is steadfast “We respond to the situa-
in its support for the rights tion fraught with distress by
of women and girls,” Dutch investing in the improve-
Development Minister Lili- ment of women’s and
anne Ploumen, who came girls’ rights even more than
up with the idea for the She before.”U.S. bans on fund-
Decides conference, said. ing international groups
De Croo said the alliance that perform or even talk
of nations wanted to make about abortions have
sure that “the purely ideo- been instituted by Repub-
logical decision of one lican administrations and
country” does not push rescinded by Democratic
women and girls back “into ones since 1984. Former
the Dark Ages.” President Barack Obama
“We will start making some- last lifted it in 2009. But un-
thing great again,” De der Trump, the ban has
Croo said of the drive to been massively expanded.
boost family planning poli- q