qurbejoog
Assad ready to quit power ?
On July 20, 2012 · In News
1:27 pm
..
0
Paris- Russia’s ambassador to France Alexandre Orlov, said on Friday he believed that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had accepted he would have to leave power although only in an orderly fashion.
But the Syrian government swiftly denied this.
Orlov said that Assad, facing a surging uprising against his rule, signalled readiness to step down when he accepted a recent international declaration which foresaw a transition towards a more democratic Syria.
“At the Geneva conference, there was a final communique that foresees a transition towards a more democratic system,’’ Orlov said.
“This final communique was accepted by Assad. Assad nominated his representative to lead the negotiations with the opposition for this transition. That means he accepted to leave, but in an orderly way.’’
Syria’s Information Ministry quickly denied this, saying Orlov’s remarks were “completely devoid of truth’’.
Orlov further said his personal opinion Assad would not be able to remain in power.
“I think it will be difficult for him to stay after everything that has happened. But essentially, he has accepted that he will have to leave.’’
Russia on Thursday blocked a Western-backed UN Security Council resolution that would have contained a threat to impose sanctions if Syria did not comply with UN-Arab League Special Envoy Kofi Annan’s peace plan.
Moscow has repeatedly said any deal must follow the principles outlined at talks in Geneva on June 30 between Annan and veto-holding members of the Security Council, which Russia until now had said did not specifically require Assad’s exit.
“What Russia is defending is not Bashar al-Assad’s regime, but international order that was created in 1945 around the UN,’’ Orlov said.
“For us it is a matter of principle that goes beyond what is happening in Syria.’’
A senior Western diplomat recommended caution with respect to Orlov’s comments. “We have not heard Assad say he is willing to step down before,’’ the diplomat said.
“But what does he mean? Does he mean now or in two years time. We have to be cautious.’’ (Reuters/NAN)
Mogadishu, Oct 25, 2013 (SDN) -The Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia, Ambassador Mahamat Saleh Annadif today hosted African Union’s Peace and Security Council (PSC) on a historic first field visit to Mogadishu. The PSC is the AU’s standing decision-making body responsible for the maintenance of continental peace…
Kenyan authorities recently alleged that Khattab al-Kene, a Somali-American, was one of several gunmen who attacked shoppers at the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya last month. Al-Shabaab, a Somali-based militant group that has attracted dozens of American recruits over the years, claimed responsibility for the assault that left at least 68 people dead and…
The United Nations in partnership with the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) and the Somaliland Journalists Association (SOLJA) on Wednesday launched Somalia Media Awards, which is the first of its kind in the Horn of Africa Nation since the collapse of its state. The Somali Media Award 2013 Organisers invited journalists to submit stories…
A delegation from Ethiopia’s Somali Regional State concluded its visit in Somaliland on Sunday 20 October 2013 where they made discussions and set workable directions for future cooperation including on security. The delegation made discussions with highest officials of a number of Somaliland institutions including the Somaliland Office of Presidency, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry…
Mogadishu, Oct 24, 2013 (SDN) -Last week the Somali Islamist militant group al-Shabab released an hour-long propaganda video – featuring a number of British men the group said had died fighting for it. They included “Talha,” a British-Asian man from Tower Hamlets in east London, whom the video said had been killed last November. Speaking…
Hargeisa, Oct 24, 2013 (SDN) -When one case of the wild poliovirus type one surfaced in Somaliland earlier this year, the Somali Red Crescent Society sprang into action, working together with the Ministry of Health and other partners to prevent the further spread of the disease. “As long as one child remains infected, every child…
London, Oct 24, 2013 (SDN) -A UK based printing company specializing in security documents such as ballot papers, as well as four individuals, appeared in court on corruption charges yesterday. Smith & Ouzman Limited, two of its directors, an employee and one agent have been charged by the Serious Fraud Office with offences of corruptly…
Accra, Oct 24, 2013 (SDN) -The Director of the Police Public Affairs of the Ghana Police Service, DSP Cephas Arthur, has denied reports that Ghana would deploy about 90 personnel to strengthen the Peace Support Operations in Somalia which is mandated by the African Union (AU). Reports on Wednesday indicated that Ghana’s security forces were…
New York, Oct 24, 2013 (SDN) -Piracy off the coast of Somalia, once regarded the most dangerous sea passage, has dropped to the lowest level in seven years, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon of the United Nations said in a report submitted Wednesday to the Security Council. Mr. Ban attributed the decline to increased international policing…
Oslo, Oct 24, 2013 (SDN) -Scandinavia’s humanitarian generosity in the 1990s appears to have had some unintended, and unwelcome, consequences, as dozens of young ethnic Somalis living there have embraced jihad, returning to the Horn of Africa to join the al Qaeda affiliate Al-Shabaab. Norway’s Intelligence Agency PST is still investigating whether one of the…
OSLO – Norway’s domestic intelligence service tried to prevent one of the suspected gunmen in the Nairobi mall attack from joining Somali militants more than three years ago, but failed to talk him out of it, the agency’s chief said in an interview Wednesday. The man has been identified in Kenya as Hassan Abdi Dhuhulow,…
Accra, Oct 23, 2013 (SDN) –The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) will soon receive a boost with the deployment of ninety Ghanaian police officers to strengthen the Peace Support Operations mandated by the African Union. At the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) the officers are currently undergoing the intense pre-deployment training which…
London, Oct 23, 2013 (SDN) –The names of almost 50 people from Britain who have links to al-Shabab – and related organisations – have been established by the BBC. Most of those on the list travelled to Somalia to fight or attempted to do so. Somali-based militants al-Shabab carried out the deadly attack on the…
Mombasa, Oct 23, 2013 (SDN) –The British woman allegedly linked to the Kenyan shopping centre attack penned an ode to Osama bin Laden, declaring: “My love for you is like no other,” it has emerged. The 34-line poem was found on a laptop belonging to Samantha Lewthwaite, who was married to 7 July 2005 suicide…
Addis Ababa , Oct 23, 2013 (SDN) –Ethiopia and Kenya have secured funds for a $1.26bn power line aimed at improving electricity supply and the project is set for completion in two years’ time, an Ethiopian official said on Wednesday. Addis Ababa is poised to generate more revenue from power exports to its neighbour, beyond…
Hargeisa, Oct 23, 2013 (SDN) –The Kaah Business Center, a half-hour’s drive outside the jammed and haphazard streets of downtown Hargeisa, Somaliland, serves as an oasis of tranquility and normalcy for local families. A small, lonely enclosure next to a gas station on the desert road north to Berbera, the Center houses a leafy green…
A famous Swedish bandy coach and Somali refugees are out on thin ice, and aiming for Siberia and the bandy world championship. With little time to practice, they are hoping for at least some goals. The sound of sharp steel blades scratching the skating rink’s ice pierces the chill air as players on wobbly legs…
Sources affiliated with militant group al-Shabab have identified one of the attackers in the deadly Kenya mall assualt as Yahya Ahmed Osman — also known as “Arab” — from the town of Buloburte in Somalia’s Hiran region. Sources told VOA’s Somali Service that Osman appears to be the same attacker that Kenyan officials named as…
Turkana County: Three suspects of Somali origin were arrested in an oil exploration site in Turkana South district following a tip by members of the public. The suspects were held inside Tullow Oil compound in Lokichar, after detectives and security officers stormed and pounced on them. Police declined to give details of the suspects, who…
Mogadishu, Oct 23, 2013 (SDN) –Somali authorities must work quickly to identify the motive in today’s murder attempt on a broadcast reporter and bring the perpetrators to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The journalist, Mohamed Mohamud, has been hospitalized with serious injuries. Unidentified gunmen in a car shot repeatedly at Mohamed’s car…