Page 10 - aruba-today-20170107

A10 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 7 January 2017
Russia says it starts Syrian drawdown with aircraft carrier

JIM HEINTZ give new impetus for U.N.-
Associated Press mediated talks between
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia Syria’s warring sides. The
announced on Friday that truce, however, doesn’t in-
it is withdrawing its aircraft clude areas controlled by
carrier and some other Rus- the Islamic State group.
sian warships from the wa- On Friday, Syria’s Kurdish-
ters off Syria as the first step led forces in the north of
in a drawdown of its forces the country said they have
in the war-torn Mideast taken control of a medieval
country. castle perched on a hilltop
According to Russian Gen- over a strategic town held
eral Staff chief Gen. Valery by IS militants, less than 32
Gerasimov, the Admiral kilometers (20 miles) from
Kuznetsov carrier and ac- the self-declared capital of
companying ships are to the extremist group.
be the first to leave. The Britain-based Syr-
The declaration comes a ian Observatory for Human
week after Russia and Tur- Rights said the Kurdish-led
key brokered a cease-fire In this photo made from the footage taken from Russian Defense Ministry official web site on Syrian Democratic Forces
in Syria, following a decisive Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017, the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier during its mission in the eastern gained control of Jaabar
Moscow-backed victory for Mediterranean Sea. Castle, which dates back
the government of Presi- Associated Press to the 11th century, follow-
dent Bashar Assad over which follows an order by Aleppo last month and has so far lost two aircraft ing days of intense clashes
rebels in the city of Aleppo. Putin on Dec. 29. the subsequent cease-fire — an Su-33 fighter jet that with IS militants. Seizing
It’s also the second time Last March, Putin also or- make Russian forces less crashed in the Mediterra- control of the castle brings
Moscow has announced dered the Russian military to critical to Assad at this junc- nean Sea in December as the Kurdish-led forces with-
scaling back its military withdraw most of its forces ture of the war — though it returned to the carrier fol- in 4 kilometers (2.4 miles) of
presence in Syria since Rus- from Syria, timing his decla- it’s unclear how extensive lowing a sortie over Syria. the dam and Tabqa, the
sia threw its military weight ration with a brief cease-fire the drawdown might be. In November, a MiG-29 second most important
behind the Syrian govern- in place at the time, one Syria’s army Chief of Staff crashed into the sea while town in the province, after
ment in September 2015. that was brokered by Mos- Gen. Ali Ayoub visited the trying to land on the vessel. the Islamic State group’s
Russia’s support, with air- cow and Washington, and aircraft carrier on Friday, Russia and Turkey, a strong de facto capital of Raqqa,
strikes and military advisers the launch of peace talks according to Syrian state supporter of Syria’s moder- SDF spokesman Talal Sillo
— along with the boosting that took place in Geneva. television. He said Admi- ate opposition, brokered told The Associated Press.
of its arsenal and a naval The latest declaration ap- ral Kuznetsov has become the current cease-fire, He said the castle, which IS
base on the Syrian coast peared designed to cast “part and parcel of the his- which came into effect leaders have used for cov-
— changed the course of Russia as a peace-maker. tory of war on terrorism,” on Dec. 30. The truce has er, was in good condition.
the civil war, now in its sixth “The successes of the Syr- according to Al-Ikhbariya mostly held but not alto- The castle sits on the north-
year, in favor of Assad. ian armed forces in the TV. He added that “signs of gether halted fighting in ern bank of Assad Lake
“In accordance with the liberation of Aleppo have victory” loom after all the the country, and the gov- and overlooks the strategic
decision by the supreme created the necessary Syria military sacrifices and ernment and opposition Tabqa dam and town with
commander-in-chief (Presi- conditions for the peaceful “Russia’s honorable posi- have blamed each other the same name.
dent) Vladimir Putin, the settlement of the conflict,” tion.” for violations of the truce. Tabqa Dam was construct-
Defense Ministry is starting said Gerasimov. “I’m confi- Airstrikes from the Rus- The cease-fire is meant to ed in the late 1960s with the
to downsize the grouping dent that it will lay the basis sian aircraft carrier began pave the way for peace help from the Soviet Union.
of armed forces in Syria,” for the political settlement in mid-November and negotiations in Astana, Ka- It is believed to be Syria’s
Gerasimov said. of the conflict.” marked the first time it was zakhstan’s capital, later this largest and has created
He did not give further de- Syrian forces’ retaking of used in combat. The ship month. The gathering could the largest water reservoir
tails on the force reduction, in the country.

Israel halts $6 million to UN to protest UN settlements vote

EDITH M. LEDERER lion allocated “to anti-Israel supports bodies whose sole long-sought resolution con- criticized President Barack
Associated Press bodies.” intent is to spread incite- demning Israeli settlements Obama’s green light for
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Is- It named the U.N. agency ment and anti-Israel propa- as an obstacle to a two- the Security Council con-
rael announced Friday it is for Palestinian refugees ganda.” U.N. spokesman state solution was a sharp demnation.
cutting approximately $6 known as UNRWA, The Divi- Stephane Dujarric, asked rebuke to a longstanding On Thursday, the Republi-
million in its annual dues sion for Palestinian Rights, to comment, said: “We ally and a striking rupture can-controlled U.S. House
to the United Nations this the committee investigat- have not been informed.” with past U.S. vetoes. of Representatives over-
year to protest last month’s ing Israeli practices af- Israel’s U.N. Mission said the Israel’s U.N. Mission said it whelmingly approved a
Security Council resolution fecting Palestinian human cut in funding is the first in will move forward on ad- bipartisan resolution rebuk-
condemning Israeli settle- rights, and information pro- a series of steps under con- ditional initiatives “aimed ing the United Nations for
ments as “a flagrant vio- grams on “the Question of sideration by the Foreign at encouraging structural criticizing Israeli settlements
lation under international Palestine.” “It is unreason- Ministry and the mission in change within the U.N. with and declaring unwaver-
law.” able for Israel to fund bod- reaction to the recent Se- the ultimate goal of ending ing support for Israel. The
Israel’s U.N. Mission said the ies that operate against curity Council resolution. anti-Israel activities” after non-binding resolution in-
amount represents the por- us at the U.N,” Israel’s U.N. The Obama administra- Donald Trump becomes sists that the United States
tion of Israel’s contribution Ambassador Danny Danon tion’s decision to abstain president of the United reject any future U.N. ac-
to the U.N.’s regular budget said. “The U.N. must end and allow the U.N. Secu- States on Jan. 20. tions that are similarly “one-
totaling more than $40 mil- the absurd reality in which it rity Council to approve a The president-elect has sided and anti-Israel.”