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DAMASCUS, Syria (AFP) — In the following AFP interview with Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, the questions were asked in English and he replied in English. Question 1: Did you give an order to strike Khan Sheikhun with chemical weapons last Tuesday? President Assad: Actually, no one has investigated what happened that day in Khan Sheikhun till the moment. As you know, Khan Sheikhun is under the control of Al-Nusra Front, which is a branch of […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — United States President Donald Trump told allies it was time to end Syria’s “brutal” civil war Wednesday, as he branded the country’s leader Bashar al-Assad a “butcher” and questioned Russia’s role in a suspected chemical attack. Trump, standing alongside North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, called on allies to “work together to resolve the disaster” in Syria and thanked them for condemning Assad’s suspected sarin attack in Khan […]
By Andrew Beatty, with Dave Clark in Moscow Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States — The United States wants to improve ties with Russia from their current “all-time low” over Syria, President Donald Trump said Wednesday, as Moscow dug in to defend its ally in Damascus. Standing side-by-side with North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the White House, Trump said: “It would be wonderful… if NATO and our country could get along […]
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday warned of future chemical weapons “provocations” in Syria to frame President Bashar al-Assad, just as Washington’s top diplomat arrived for talks in Moscow. “We have information from various sources that such provocations — I cannot call them otherwise — are being prepared in other regions of Syria, including in the southern outskirts of Damascus, where they are again planning to throw some kind of substance […]
New York, United States (AFP) — Wall Street stocks finished modestly lower Tuesday as worries about Syria and the upcoming French presidential election weighed on investor sentiment. Geopolitical concerns were front and center as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson flew to Moscow Tuesday to confront the Kremlin about its support for the Syrian government, amid US statements that Russia tried to cover up a chemical attack. At the same time, investors were eyeing the […]
by Thomas WATKINS Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Pentagon chief Jim Mattis said Monday there is “no doubt” the Syrian regime was behind last week’s deadly chemical strike, while US officials accused Moscow of waging a misinformation campaign around the attack. The charge that Russia is obfuscating who is responsible for the horrific events of April 4 when at least 87 civilians were killed in a rebel-held town came just as US […]
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia’s foreign minister will host three-way talks with his counterparts from Syria and Iran this week, Moscow said Tuesday, after the US launched strikes against Syrian forces. “A trilateral meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Syrian minister Walid Muallem and Iranian minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is planned for the end of this week,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
by Luana Sarmini-Buonaccorsi Agence France Presse MARDIN, Syria (AFP) — Laughter rings out and there is an atmosphere of excitement and joyful chaos. Children are perched on stilts, others spin plates or happily perform aerial dances. This is not a big top circus in a major city but a house in southeastern Turkey, where Syrian refugee children learn circus tricks in an innovative programme to help integrate into their foreign host country. The Her Yerde Sanat […]
by Thomas Watkins with Ella Ide in Lucca Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US strike on a Syrian air base destroyed a fifth of the Damascus regime’s remaining warplanes, Pentagon chief Jim Mattis said Monday as Washington fired a fresh salvo of warnings at President Bashar al-Assad. The public assessment of Friday’s missile strike and the forceful rhetoric came as G7 ministers met in Italy to send a “clear and coordinated” […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States stepped up pressure Sunday on Russia to rein in Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, warning that any further chemical attacks would be “very damaging” to their relationship and suggesting there can be no peace in Syria while Assad remains in power. President Donald Trump’s top advisers took to Sunday television talk shows to set the stage for a diplomatic confrontation in Moscow this week when US Secretary of […]
(Reuters) — United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said on Sunday (April 9) peace in Syria would not be possible if Syrian President Bashar al-Assad remained in power. “In no way do we look at peace happening in that area with Iranian influence. In no way do we see peace in that area with Russia covering up for Assad. In no way do we see peace in that area with Assad […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain’s Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has cancelled a scheduled visit to Moscow next week, his office announced Saturday, saying “developments in Syria have changed the situation fundamentally.” “My priority is now to continue contact with the (United States) and others in the run up to the G7 meeting on 10-11 April,” said Johnson, who was due to travel to Moscow on Monday. “We deplore Russia’s continued defence of the Assad […]
