Excerpts: Saudi drafted resolution re Syria. Dec, meeting in K SA re
Syria.Jordan is strongest U.S. Arab partner. Assad,Obama remarks dim peace.
November 20, 2015


+++SOURCE: Al Arabiya News 20 Nov.’15:”U.N. committee condemns Iranian
intervention in Syria war”, by Reuters

SUBJECT:Saudi drafted resolution re Syria

FULL TEXT:The U.N. General Assembly’s human rights committee on Thursday[19
Nov] adopted a Saudi-drafted resolution condemning Iranian and Russian
intervention in Syria, a decision that the Syrian and Iranian delegations
rejected as unhelpful and unjustified.

The non-binding resolution, authored by Saudi Arabia and co-sponsored by
Qatar and other Arab nations, the United States and other Western powers,
was adopted by the 193-nation assembly’s Third Committee.

There were 115 votes in favor, 15 against and 51 abstentions.

Without explicitly naming Russia, it said the General Assembly “strongly
condemns all attacks against the Syrian moderate opposition and calls for
their immediate cessation, given that such attacks benefit so-called ISIL
(Daesh) and other terrorist groups, such as al Nusra Front.” “ISIL” and
“Daesh” are names for ISIS.

The resolution’s language is clearly aimed at Russia, which has been bombing
opposition forces in Syria for two months. Moscow says it is attacking ISIS
but Western officials say its strikes have mainly targeted other rebel
forces, including Western-backed groups.

The resolution also condemned the presence in Syria of “all foreign
terrorist fighters ... and foreign forces fighting on behalf of the Syrian
regime, particularly the al Quds Brigades, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard
Corps (of Iran) and militia groups, such as Hezbollah.”

Iran’s deputy U.N. representative, Ambassador Gholamhossein Dehghani, also
rejected the resolution. He said it blurred the clear distinction between
“terrorists with those who fight against them.”

The resolution demands foreign militias leave Syrian territory immediately.

It also blasts ISIS and other militant groups for rights abuses and
atrocities.


+++SOURCE: Saudi Gazette 20 Nov.’15:”Saudi Arabia to host conference to
unify Syrian opposition in mid-December, by Al Arabiya News :SUBJECT:
Dec.15 meeting in KSA re Syria

QUOTE:”However, the tricky question of the fate of Syrian President Bashar
al Assad remained unanswered”

A meeting has been scheduled in Saudi Arabia to bring together moderate
Syrian opposition groups, in an attempt to present them as a united front in
future negotiations, Al Arabiya News Channel’s correspondent reported on
Thursday[19 Nov].

The correspondent learned from an ambassador in New York that U.N. envoy to
Syria, Staffan De Mistura “informed the members in closed session that there
will be a meeting in KSA on Dec. 15 to unite the moderate Syrian opposition
to present a united front in any negotiations with the regime on a
Transitional Governing body.”

The news comes after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday that
Syria could be weeks away from a “big transition,” following on from
international talks in Vienna at the weekend.

World diplomats gathered in Vienna agreed on a fixed calendar for Syria that
would see a transitional government in six months and elections in 18
months.

However the tricky subject of the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
remained unanswered.

Meanwhile, the correspondent also said a meeting is expected in Jordan, to
name and list which groups are considered “terrorists” in Syria.



+++SOURCE: Jordan Times 20 Nov,’15:”U.S. has no stronger Arab partner than
Jordan –-U.S,ambassador”, by J T

SUBJECT:Jordan is strongest US Arab partner

FULL TEXT:AMMAN — The US "has no stronger Arab partner than Jordan", US
Ambassador to Jordan Alice G. Wells said Thursday[19 Nov].

Speaking at a reception held to mark a port visit to Aqaba by the USS
Arlington, on its maiden voyage, she highlighted her country's ties with the
Kingdom.

“The partnership between Jordan and the United States is resolute. Jordan is
one of our most capable and steadfast allies in the region and we reaffirm
the United States’ commitment to Jordan’s stability, development, and
prosperity,” an embassy statement quoted Wells as saying.

"The USS Arlington’s visit here in Aqaba is a small symbol of our six
decades of cooperation,” she added.

The statement said the port visit demonstrates "US-Jordanian military
cooperation and the United States’ unwavering commitment to Jordan’s
security".

Wells, US Naval Forces Central Command Commander Vice Admiral Kevin Donegan,
and the ship’s captain and crew hosted the reception in Aqaba.

The USS Arlington is an amphibious transport dock ship, commissioned in 2013
and named for Arlington, Virginia, home of the Pentagon.

The relationship between the Royal Jordanian Naval Force and the US Navy
"continues to be one of the strongest pieces of our security partnership",
the US embassy said.

“As part of the multi-national Combined Maritime Forces, Jordan provides a
valuable contribution to counter-piracy, counterterrorism, and regional
maritime security cooperation initiatives,” it added.

Jordan’s naval force is also “crucial to the success of the multiple port
calls American ships conduct in Aqaba every year”, according to the embassy.

The Kingdom is “one of the largest recipients” of direct US military
assistance, with over half a billion dollars in defense-related aid to
Jordan over the past year.

“Much of this aid has helped procure military equipment to support Jordan’s
efforts to defend its borders and defeat Daesh. The United States has
provided advanced surveillance technologies reinforce Jordan’s borders,
along with anti-terrorism and counterterrorism tactical training and
equipment,” the embassy said.

US funding also supports military exchange training between the two
countries. Hundreds of Jordanian officers participate in training programs
in the US annually, and US military personnel train in Jordan, according to
the statement.

“As Jordan’s armed forces meet these challenges head-on, we strive to
support Jordan’s military success,” Wells said.

+++SOURCE: Jordan Times 20 Nov.’15:”Hopes for Syria peace dim after
Assad,Obama remarks”, by Agence France Presse

SUBJECT:Assad.Obama remarks dim peace

EXCERPTS:BEIRUT — Hopes for a quick political transition in war-ravaged
Syria dimmed Thursday as embattled President Bashar Assad threw cold water
on an ambitious timetable agreed at international talks in Vienna.

At the same time, the US held firm to its calls for Assad's departure, with
President Barack Obama insisting Thursday[19 Nov] that the war could not end
unless the Syrian leader steps down.

"I do not foresee a situation in which we can end the civil war in Syria
while Assad remains in power," Obama said on the sidelines of a trade summit
in Manila……
========
Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA