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DHAHRAN, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — The Gulf crisis, which has seen Qatar isolated by Saudi Arabia and its allies, is not on the table at the upcoming meeting of Arab League states, Riyadh’s foreign minister said Thursday. “The solution of Qatar will be within the GCC,” or the six-state Gulf Cooperation Council, Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told reporters in Riyadh ahead of the Arab Summit. He was responding to an AFP question on whether the […]
by Dave Clark with Francesco Fontemaggi Agence France-Presse UNITED STATES (AFP) — President Donald Trump’s threat of action against the Syrian regime places the United States and Russia at perhaps the greatest risk of conflict since the days of the Cold War. No serious observer thinks Washington or Moscow want to fight each other over Bashar al-Assad’s latest alleged use of banned chemical weapons on his country’s civil war battlefield. But the Syria conflict […]
by Dave Clark © Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump warned Wednesday that “missiles will be coming” in response to an alleged chemical attack in Syria, as the UN chief urged world powers to stop a face-off with Russia from spiraling out of control. With punitive US military action seemingly imminent, Russia scrambled to deflect blame from its ally Bashar al-Assad and, according to a monitor group, Syrian forces evacuated key […]
UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday voiced concern to the Security Council’s five permanent members over the “impasse” on Syria, stressing “the need to avoid the situation spiraling out of control.” His comments follow the Council’s failure to agree on a response to an alleged chemical attack in Syria’s rebel-held Douma over the weekend that has triggered global fury. “I have also been closely following developments in the […]
by Andrew Beatty © Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump holds Russia and Syria responsible for a suspected chemical attack that killed more than 40 people, the White House said Wednesday, refusing to rule out direct military engagement with Russia. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders slapped aside Russian suggestions that Saturday’s attack in Douma could have been faked and said Trump was still weighing military options in response. […]
MADRID, Spain (AFP) — A coalition of NGOs on Wednesday urged Spain not to sign off on a planned sale of warships to Saudi Arabia during an upcoming visit to Madrid by the kingdom’s crown prince. The “Arms Under Control” collective, which includes Amnesty International, Oxfam and Greenpeace, also called on Spain to stop exporting arms to the Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, where thousands of civilians have been killed. During his […]
by Dave Clark / with Carole Landry at the United Nations Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States – President Donald Trump warned on Monday that Moscow, Tehran and Damascus may be forced to pay a “big price” after the latest alleged chemical weapons atrocity of the Syrian civil war. The American leader met with his cabinet and promised that “major decisions” would be made within the next 24 to 48 hours, amid mounting speculation about a […]
PARIS, France (AFP) — France on Saturday condemned “indiscriminate fire” by the Israeli army in the latest border clashes that left nine Palestinians dead in the Gaza strip. “France reiterates its strong disapproval of the indiscriminate fire of the Israeli army. All possible light must be shed on these serious events,” Agnes von der Muhll, spokeswoman for the French foreign ministry, said in a statement. The nine dead Palestinians, including a journalist, were buried in […]
by Joe Dyke and Mai Yaghi © Agence France-Presse GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories (AFP) — Israeli forces killed seven Palestinians as thousands protested and clashes erupted along the Gaza border on Friday, a week after a mass demonstration led to violence and the bloodiest day since a 2014 war. Gaza’s health ministry also reported that 408 Palestinians had been taken to hospitals and medical centres for treatment. The dead included a 16-year-old, it said. At […]
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman, who is set to visit France next week, has shaken up the ultraconservative oil superpower with economic, social and religious reforms since becoming crown prince. The 32-year-old de facto ruler has overseen the most fundamental transformation in the modern history of the Gulf nation and sidelined all rivals after emerging as first-in-line last June. Known by his initials MBS, the prince has pledged a “moderate” […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States on Thursday approved a contract to sell Saudi Arabia 180 self-propelled artillery systems for $1.31 billion, in the latest stage of perhaps the world’s biggest arms deal. When US President Donald Trump visited Riyadh last year he boasted that the desert kingdom would spend $110 billion on US equipment and the howitzer contract is one more step towards that goal. Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince […]
by Dave Clark / with Andrew Beatty © Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump’s White House vowed Wednesday that the US mission in Syria would come to a “rapid end” but failed to put a timetable on an eventual withdrawal. Just days after Trump shocked aides and allies by declaring that the 2,000 troops would come home soon, US officials moved to scotch talk of a precipitous pullout. The decision will […]
