Global News Post

Islamabad Market Bomb Kills at Least 21

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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">By
VOA News<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Pakistani
authorities say at least 21 people were killed and 70 wounded in a bomb blast
at a crowded market in Islamabad Wednesday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Police
said the bomb was hidden in a crate of fruit and set off by remote control
while the market was packed with shoppers and dealers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Pools
of blood and body parts were scattered across the scene.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">No
one has claimed responsibility for the blast. The Pakistani Taliban issued a
statement to reporters denying it was behind the attack. It came a day after a
passenger train was bombed in Baluchistan province, in southwestern Pakistan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">At
least 14 were killed and 40 wounded in that incident.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Police
said a bomb was hidden inside a suitcase and also set off by remote control.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">A
spokesman for the United Baluch Army rebel group telephoned VOA to claim
responsibility.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif's government has engaged the Taliban in peace talks to
end years of extremist violence in the country. Wednesday's blast occurred two
days before a Taliban ceasefire is set to expire.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Islamabad Market Bomb Kills at Least 21

By VOA News Pakistani authorities say at least 21 people were killed and 70 wounded in a bomb blast at a crowded market in Islamaba...

Rival Afghan Candidates Already Claiming Victory

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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">By Sharon Behn<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Afghanistan’s April 5 presidential ballot has been
widely hailed as a triumph for the people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> 
</span>With votes still being counted, hopes for a smooth end to the election
are beginning to fade as candidates appear to maneuver for a political fight to
the finish.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Technocrat Ashraf Ghani, a former World Bank
official, told media he is certain he received a majority of the votes, given
the turnout in areas where he gathered a lot of support.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">His chief competitor, former foreign minister
Abdullah Abdullah, has said he is sure that 60 percent of the voters had cast
their ballots for him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">To win the election, a candidate needs 50 percent
plus one vote.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>If no one reaches that
threshold, there will be a run-off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Omar Samad, an Afghan expert at the New America
Foundation in Washington, D.C., says it is likely that the front-runners will
fight to the finish.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“They have indicated they will go all the way
because both of them are in favor of a stronger mandate by going to the end of
the second round,”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Samad adds that the other six candidates could
soon start negotiating throwing their support behind one of the two assumed
leading candidates.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Results <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Partial results could be announced as early as the
end of this week. The final tally is not expected until mid-May.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Ahmad Yousuf Nuristani, the head of the
Independent Election Commission, called on the candidates to wait for the
official announcement of the vote results.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">He says his request to all the candidates and
people of Afghanistan is to avoid predictions, or publishing numbers, so as to
not confuse people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Let the Independent Election
Commission announce the results as scheduled, he says.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">According to the National Democratic Institute, a
full accounting of all ballots will be particularly important in this
hotly-contested election, where the margin of victory is expected to be slim.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Jandad Spinghar, executive director of the Free
and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan (FEFA), says so far the effective
security efforts and higher-than-expected voter turnout has lent huge
credibility to the election.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">He says all the ballots must be counted and
complaints of fraud or vote-rigging must be resolved before a final count can
be released.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Then we can say that we will have complete
legitimate election and the result will be acceptable," said Spinghar.
"If there will be second round, so we can expect that before second round
there will be a kind of negotiation between two candidates.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Fraud <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">According to FEFA, its election monitors observed
2,600 cases of fraud and misconduct.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Afghanistan’s senior electoral officer, Ziaulhaq Amarkhail,
has said every documented election complaint would be investigated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">He says Afghans are holding elections under
conditions of war and insecurity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>But if
there is any credible evidence showing that someone interfered with the
documents in favor of or against any candidate, he says the Independent
Election Commission wants to assure the nation that it takes all such
complaints seriously and is ready to deal with such situations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Analyst Samad says the election’s overall
credibility will depend heavily on how the election and complaints commissions
perform their jobs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The Asian Networks for Free Elections Foundation
warned in a statement Wednesday that candidates' “premature and unfounded
declarations of victory can create an unrealistic expectation among
supporters.”---VOA News<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Rival Afghan Candidates Already Claiming Victory

By Sharon Behn Afghanistan’s April 5 presidential ballot has been widely hailed as a triumph for the people. With votes still bei...

CHINA URGES ISRAEL TO MAKE "BRAVE" DECISIONS ON PEACE TALKS

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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">BEIJING (NNN-XINHUA) - China's President Xi
Jinping urged Israel to make "brave" decisions on the latest round of
peace talks with the Palestinians, after negotiators ended another U.S-mediated
session with no sign of a breakthrough.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">"At present, the Israeli-Palestinian talks
process has entered a crucial stage; there are opportunities and also many
difficulties," Xi told visiting Israeli President Shimon Peres, China's
foreign ministry said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">"(China) hopes that Israel keeps in mind the
broader picture of peace, shows strategic wisdom, makes brave decisions as
early as possible, and pushes along with the international community and
Palestinians, for substantive progress on peace talks," Xi added.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The U.S.-brokered negotiations, which began in
July, plunged into crisis last week, after Israel, demanding a Palestinian
commitment to continue talking beyond an Apr 29 deadline for a peace deal,
failed to carry out a promised release of about two dozens Palestinian
prisoners.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">China has traditionally had a low profile in
Middle East diplomacy, despite its reliance on oil imports from there, but is
keen to assert its role as a force in international politics.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Last year, Xi met both Israeli Prime Minister,
Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, urging them to revive
discussions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Xi, who took office in Mar last year, did not
outline any specific proposals for the peace talks, saying simply that China
would keep "playing a constructive role."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Xi said, the Chinese and Jewish peoples had long
had friendly relations, pointing out China's role in fighting "fascism and
militarism" during World War Two.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Beijing has maintained close relations with the
Palestinians for decades. In recent years, it has also cultivated ties with
Israel, though Israel is wary of China's links with Iran.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">China, Iran's top oil customer and a permanent
member of the U.N. Security Council, has opposed unilateral sanctions on
Tehran, such as those imposed by Washington and the European Union, and has
called repeatedly for talks to resolve the standoff over Iran's contested
nuclear programme. -- NNN-XINHUA<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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CHINA URGES ISRAEL TO MAKE "BRAVE" DECISIONS ON PEACE TALKS

BEIJING (NNN-XINHUA) - China's President Xi Jinping urged Israel to make "brave" decisions on the latest round of peace tal...

Pakistan to Re-Engage With India as Soon as New Govt. Is Formed

Pakistan to Re-Engage With India as Soon as New Govt. Is Formed

WASHINGTON (NNN-PTI) -- Pakistan is looking to re-engage with India as soon as the new government is formed in New Delhi post the ongoing...

India Sells First Aircraft Carrier for US$10 Million

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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;">NEW
DELHI (NNN-Bernama) -- India has sold its first aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant
to a ship breaker for US$10 million following an auction, China's Xinhua news
agency reported.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">INS
Vikrant, purchased as HMS Hercules from Britain in 1957, had played a key role
in enforcing the naval blockade on East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) during the
Indo-Pakistan War of 1971.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The
Indian Navy vessel was sold to a company named I.B. Commercial Pvt Ltd. and has
30 days to settle the payment and tow the ship away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The
ship was commissioned as the first aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy in 1961.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">After
a distinguished service, it was decommissioned in January 1997 and preserved as
a museum ship in Cuffe Parade in Mumbai until it was closed in 2012 due to
safety concerns. --NNN-BERNAMA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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India Sells First Aircraft Carrier for US$10 Million

NEW DELHI (NNN-Bernama) -- India has sold its first aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant to a ship breaker for US$10 million following an auctio...

Report On Indian N-Plants Presented At Nuclear Global Convention

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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">CHENNAI
(NNN-PTI) --India has submitted its latest national report on safety status of
its atomic power plants and its nuclear safety review and regulatory system at
the Convention of Nuclear Safety at Vienna. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">A
14-member Indian team led by Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) chairman S S
Bajaj presented the report at the sixth review meeting of the Convention of
Nuclear Safety held between March 24 and April 4, AERB Secretary R Bhattacharya
said in a statement. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The
recent safety enhancements in Indian nuclear plants following the Fukushima
accident in Japan and the Indian system of licensing of power plants based on
periodic safety reviews were also highlighted in the report, he said. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">A
total of 74 countries, including India, are signatories to the Convention of
Nuclear Safety as on March this year and all of them have to submit a national
report on safety of their nuclear power plants every three years. These reports
are also peer reviewed and presented in the CNS review meeting. --NNN-PTI<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>

Report On Indian N-Plants Presented At Nuclear Global Convention

CHENNAI (NNN-PTI) --India has submitted its latest national report on safety status of its atomic power plants and its nuclear safety rev...

Villagers Get Eyeball Scans For Unique Identification in India

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB3SKl4LzEHO-9zLUAg03Zzxvr0ftD75o7pr7AgepmMLQfyBAeRkNrRs7IadIMGvkAZ-QRIhkLDnLOZvXlM5teNvh1uTuUY932YtVDnFwcGelz3RSoytkVcAkoDunxBoe1IqZbQrJQJ5c/s1600/2013030114253022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB3SKl4LzEHO-9zLUAg03Zzxvr0ftD75o7pr7AgepmMLQfyBAeRkNrRs7IadIMGvkAZ-QRIhkLDnLOZvXlM5teNvh1uTuUY932YtVDnFwcGelz3RSoytkVcAkoDunxBoe1IqZbQrJQJ5c/s1600/2013030114253022.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">NNN---Village
women stand in a queue to get themselves enrolled for the Unique Identification
(UID) database system at Merta district in the desert Indian state of Rajasthan
on 28 February 2013. In a more ambitious version of programmes that have
slashed poverty in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Brazil</st1:country-region>
and <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Mexico</st1:place></st1:country-region>,
the Indian government has begun to use the UID database, known as Aadhaar, to
make direct cash transfers to the poor, in an attempt to cut out frauds who
siphon billions of dollars from welfare schemes. Photo courtesy Mansi Thapliyal---NNN<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Villagers Get Eyeball Scans For Unique Identification in India

NNN---Village women stand in a queue to get themselves enrolled for the Unique Identification (UID) database system at Merta distri...

Nepal Tells India to Shut Down Its Field-Office

Nepal Tells India to Shut Down Its Field-Office

KATHMANDU, Nepal (NNN-Xinhua) -- The government of Nepal has asked the reluctant India to immediately close its field-office, whic...

How best to serve Pakistan’s 750,000 IDPs?

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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Photo: <a href="http://www.irinnews.org/photo/"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Rebecca
Conway/IRIN</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Pakistani men displaced by fighting in<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Khyber tribal region drink tea outside<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">a shop near <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Peshawar</st1:place></st1:city><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<st1:city w:st="on"><span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">PESHAWAR</span></span></st1:city><span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> (IRIN) - Residents escaping the latest round of fighting in
Khyber Agency in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:country-region></st1:place>’s
Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) say they did not even have time to
bury their dead before leaving their homes in the Tirah valley.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">They are the
latest of hundreds of thousands of people who have fled their homes in the
tribal belt close to <st1:country-region w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:country-region>’s
border with <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Afghanistan</st1:place></st1:country-region>
over the past five years of Pakistani military operations. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Conflict is not
the only cause of displacement - natural disasters have also played a role,
creating what humanitarians call a “complex emergency”. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">But despite the
existence of camps set up for internally displaced persons (IDPs) where the
government and humanitarian organizations provide assistance, most choose to
flee elsewhere - creating a challenge for those wanting to help these
vulnerable communities. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Over 75,000
people live in three established IDP camps (such as Jalozai, a half-hour drive
from <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Peshawar</st1:place></st1:city>)
which house families in tents or makeshift structures, and provide food aid,
medical facilities and drinking water. They also serve as a central
registration point for families arriving from areas hit by conflict or natural
disaster. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Large though
these camps are, they only account for 10 percent of the three-quarters of a
million IDPs, according to the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (OCHA). <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Humanitarian
agencies are increasingly being pushed to take care of those who prefer to live
elsewhere; often in <st1:city w:st="on">Peshawar</st1:city>, the capital of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province (KP), and elsewhere in KP. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">NGOs and the UN
working in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:place></st1:country-region>
carry out so-called IDP vulnerability assessment and profiling (IVAP) surveys
to gather information on where off-camp IDPs are, and the type of support they
need - from shelter and food to health care and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
(WASH) assistance. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">They also gather
information about what IDPs say they will need on returning to their homes,
generally in FATA - with housing, security and agriculture of particular
concern to families. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">IVAP findings
are then passed to humanitarian partners in an effort to ensure that assistance
is targeted where there is the greatest need. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The European
Commission-funded IVAP project recommends that aid agencies prioritize
assistance for off-camp families, 82 percent of whom have to pay rent and live
in difficult, cramped conditions. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">IDPs outside the camps <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Providing
humanitarian services outside of the camp environment can be challenging. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">IDPs have direct
access to facilities at camps, but tribal customs, perceptions of camp life and
a preference to stay with relatives and friends, mean a large number of IDPs
choose to live outside the camps, making it more difficult for the authorities
and humanitarian organizations to keep track of them and offer assistance. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Those providing
aid, and the IDPs receiving it, would be better served if distribution was
decentralized, said Sobat Khan Afridi, chairman of the Tehreek-e-Mutasireen
Khyber Agency, an NGO set up by different political parties to assist IDPs. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“It is easier
for larger organizations, especially international NGOs, to operate from the
camp as it is easier to manage for them. The problem is that it is still
difficult for all the families not living at the camp to reach Jalozai and get
aid,” said Afridi. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“It would be
better if they set up distribution points across <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Peshawar</st1:place></st1:city> in the areas where a lot of IDPs
live. That would mean less stress for the authorities at Jalozai, and less
problems for off-camp IDPs too.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Yar Mohammed,
29, arrived in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Peshawar</st1:place></st1:city>
from Tirah in January after walking with his family for five days, much of the
journey through heavy snow. He says going to Jalozai was not an option. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">"The ones
in the camps are the most vulnerable. They have no other means or resources to
set up something else for themselves."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“I spoke to some
people who told me the facilities at Jalozai are not enough. They were going to
give just one tent to us, and that will not do for 10 people.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Instead,
Mohammed stayed with his cousin until he found a three-room mud house in the
Scheme Chowk area of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Peshawar</st1:place></st1:city>.
He pays 4,000 <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:place></st1:country-region>
rupees (US$41) a month, and hopes to move his family to a better house soon. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“The movement of
off-camp families, especially those from Khyber, is very volatile. Sometimes
they are living with relatives. If they can afford it, they rent a house of
their own. We try our best to register all of them, but it is a challenge,”
said Faiz Muhammad, the KP government’s chief coordinator for IDPs. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Efforts are made
to keep in touch with families who choose to live among relatives or rent
property. The government uses mobile phone numbers to register families living
off-camp, and officials try to reach families that are not registered in this
way during monthly food distributions at designated points, he added. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“Even if they
are not staying at camp, most of them visit the food distribution points and
that allows us to get information from them, give them information and assess
the situation.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Humanitarian
organizations and the government have identified areas in and around <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Peshawar</st1:place></st1:city> with a high
concentration of IDPs, and some assistance, such as medical care, is also
provided in those areas. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">"Identifying
off-camp families was a challenge because of the reluctance of many IDP
families to register, as well as humanitarian organizations’ own security
concerns. That was overcome to some extent by mapping families initially based
on information from IDPs living in camps, and then expanding the effort to
surveys of off-camp families in host communities,” said an aid worker with Save
the Children in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:place></st1:country-region>
who preferred anonymity. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Moving on <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Khalid Shah from
Khyber Agency lives in Sufaid Dheri, a <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Peshawar</st1:place></st1:city>
neighbourhood that is home to an estimated 250 displaced families. Two years
ago, worried about the safety of his children as fighting escalated in the town
of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Bara</st1:place></st1:city>, he
boarded up his small shop and left home. His first stop was Jalozai. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“Everyone told
me that going to the camp was the best idea. It was safe and there was food and
shelter. But after a couple of months, I couldn’t take it any more,” Shah, 42,
said. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">He started
commuting from Jalozai to Sufaid Dheri, where he would earn a daily wage
loading and unloading goods in a market. Today, he lives in a two-room
apartment in the same neighbourhood with his family. He remains registered with
the Jalozai authorities, and often travels to the camp if he requires
assistance. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“I have managed
to move here, but my brother and his family are still in Jalozai. He works here
with me but stays registered there. You never know,” said Shah. The brothers
also take turns visiting their land and their shop in Bara every month. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">For many
families, pessimistic about the prospects of peace in their villages and towns,
the next step is to plan for a new life away from Khyber. Many have sold their
land to buy property in and around <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Peshawar</st1:place></st1:city>.
Those with the money have set up businesses too. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“The day I am
convinced Bara is peaceful, I am going back,” said Shah. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">However, those
without even modest financial resources are the real challenge for policymakers
in terms of a return strategy. The poorest of the IDPs have no option but to
register and live in camps like Jalozai, where the services provided are far
superior to what they could hope for back home. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“The ones in the
camps are the most vulnerable. They have no other means or resources to set up
something else for themselves. They get health, education and food at the
camp,” said Faiz Muhammad of the KP government. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“It’s an obvious
question: why would they go back?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Security fears <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Pakistani
officials say return plans cannot be successful until peace is established in
the affected areas. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“We can only
begin working on a return programme for IDPs after the government and the
military determine that the affected area is safe,” said Faiz Muhammad. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">In a refugee
camp on the outskirts of <st1:country-region w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:country-region>’s
capital <st1:city w:st="on">Islamabad</st1:city>, home to many families displaced
by the conflict on the border with <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Afghanistan</st1:place></st1:country-region>, Sher Mohammed, from
the Mohmand Agency in FATA, says the military has cleared his village, but his
family members that visited still fear militant attacks. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“My cousins went
back last summer and they had to come back because it was still dangerous
there. I can’t afford to go back unless it is absolutely safe. It costs 50,000
rupees to take my family back. If it’s not safe, I’ll have to spend another
50,000 rupees to come back here,” said the 40-year-old. “I don’t have that kind
of money.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>

How best to serve Pakistan’s 750,000 IDPs?

Photo: Rebecca Conway/IRIN Pakistani men displaced by fighting in Khyber tribal region drink tea outside a shop near Peshawar ...

Friends of Syria Group ‘Encourages Extremists’ - Moscow

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<st1:city w:st="on"><span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">MOSCOW</span></span></st1:city><span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> (RIA Novosti) -
A resolution adopted by the Friends of Syria Group in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Rome</st1:city></st1:place> on Thursday encourages extremists there to
seize power by force, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich
said on Friday.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">US, EU and Arab
officials who met in Rome on Thursday pledged more assistance to the Syrian
opposition fighting against President Bashar al-Assad's regime, recognizing the
National Coalition as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“There is a
general understanding within the international community that there is no
military solution to the Syrian crisis,” Lukashevich said in a statement posted
on the ministry’s website.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“Meanwhile,
judging by incoming reports, the decisions made in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Rome</st1:city></st1:place>, as well as the statements that were
made there, both in letter and in spirit encourage extremists to seize power by
force, regardless of the inevitable suffering of ordinary Syrians.” He did not
elaborate.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Rome</st1:city></st1:place> statement praised the
opposition National Coalition for its reform efforts, urged Assad's regime to
end “indiscriminate bombardments against populated areas,” and deplored “the
unabated arms supply to the regime by third countries.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">US</st1:country-region></st1:place>
pledged $60 million in “non-lethal” assistance for the Syrian political
opposition.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Secretary of
State John Kerry said on Thursday the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">US</st1:country-region></st1:place> would send the Syrian opposition
an additional $60 million in non-lethal aid, but still refuses to supply the
weapons and sophisticated military supplies the rebels have said they need.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Russian Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday <st1:city w:st="on">Moscow</st1:city>’s
position on <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Syria</st1:place></st1:country-region>
stems from its concern for the Syrian people, and not the fate of President
Bashar al-Assad.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The <st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region> has called for Assad to step down,
but <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Russia</st1:place></st1:country-region>
says it is concerned that the Syrian president’s forced departure would make
the conflict worse.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Russian Deputy
Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said last Tuesday foreign military supplies to
<st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Syria</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s
armed opposition have been growing. He reiterated <st1:country-region w:st="on">Russia</st1:country-region>’s
official position that <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Moscow</st1:place></st1:city>
will not carry out fresh arms deliveries to the Syrian government, but is only
supplying arms and military equipment under contracts signed before the civil
war, which has claimed some 70,000 lives according to the latest UN estimates.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Last Monday,
Lavrov denied <st1:city w:st="on">Moscow</st1:city> had tried to smuggle arms
components into <st1:country-region w:st="on">Syria</st1:country-region> via <st1:country-region w:st="on">Finland</st1:country-region>, and said there are no Russian troops in
<st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Syria</st1:place></st1:country-region>
apart from several dozen technical staff at the Tartus naval support facility. <st1:country-region w:st="on">Russia</st1:country-region>’s state-run arms dealer Rosoboronexport
said on Wednesday it is supplying air-defense missile systems and maintenance
and servicing equipment to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Syria</st1:place></st1:country-region>,
but not combat aircraft. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>

Friends of Syria Group ‘Encourages Extremists’ - Moscow

MOSCOW (RIA Novosti) - A resolution adopted by the Friends of Syria Group in Rome on Thursday encourages extremists there to seize po...