Excerpts: Russia says Turkey preparing to invade Syria. Revolutionary Guard
aid to Assad killed. Maximum penalty for 2 Israelis. Subject: Iran pilgrims
welcome in Saudi, London conference pledges billions for Syria aid February
04, 2016
+++SOURCE: Al Arabiya News 4 Feb,’16:”Russia accuses Turkey of preparing to
invade Syria”:, by Agence France Presse
SUBJECT:Russia says Turkey preparing to invade Syria
QUOTE:”We have serious grounds to suspect Turkey is in intensive
preparations for an armed invasion of the territory of a sovereign state -
the Syrian Arab Republic,” the defense ministry said in a statement
FULL TEXT: Russia on Thursday[4 Feb] accused Turkey of actively preparing to
invade Syria, saying it had spotted troops and military equipment on the
border with the war-torn country.
“We have serious grounds to suspect Turkey is in intensive preparations for
an armed invasion of the territory of a sovereign state - the Syrian Arab
Republic,” the defense ministry said in a statement.
Ties between Moscow, which supports the regime of Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad, and Ankara, which is a staunch backer of the opposition, have been
in tatters since Turkey shot down a Russian bomber on the Syrian border in
November.
Moscow’s claims came as Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, speaking at
an international aid conference for Syria in London, implicitly accused
Russia of “war crimes” in the country.
Ankara said earlier Thursday[4 Feb] that it had refused to allow a Russian
reconnaissance plane to overfly its territory near Syria because of a
disagreement over the flight plan.
Russia said Turkey had not given Moscow any clear explanation for the
decision.
“We consider these Turkish actions to be a dangerous precedent and an
attempt to conceal illegal military activities at the Syrian border,” the
defense ministry said.
“Moreover, we are recording more and more signs of covert preparations by
the Turkish armed forces for active action on Syrian territory,” it said,
adding that Russia has ramped up reconnaissance in the Middle East.
“So if someone in Ankara believes that the cancellation of the flight by
Russian monitors would allow (them) to hide something then this is
unprofessional.”
The defense ministry, citing reconnaissance data, said Turkey had recently
expanded a parking lot for heavy-duty trucks on the border as well two
smaller parking lots in rebel-controlled Syria.
“Such sites are used to secure a quick movement of military columns
containing ammunition and weapons to a theatre of operations as well as a
fast transfer and evacuation of personnel,” it said.
Moscow said it had recorded plenty of such examples at the Syrian-Turkish
border “including the presence of troops and military equipment.”
Russia also said it was surprised that representatives of Pentagon, NATO and
human rights organizations in Syria did not issue any reaction.
The Turkish foreign ministry declined to immediately comment on the Russian
claim.
U.N. special envoy Staffan de Mistura announced Wednesday[3 Feb] the
suspension of peace talks to end Syria’s civil war as the West accused
Moscow of seeking a military solution to the war and refusing to halt its
strikes.
Following a request from Assad, Moscow launched a bombing campaign in Syria
in September, saying it needed to target jihadists like the Islamic State of
Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group before they cross into Russia.
The Syrian opposition has been outraged at Moscow's determination to press
ahead with its bombing campaign during peace talks and accused Russia of
targeting civilians.
+++SOURCE: Al Arabiya News 4 Feb,’16:”Militants kill Iranian general in
Syria:Reports”byAgence France Presse
SUBJECT: Revolutionary Guard General aid to Assad killed
QUOTE:”Brigadier General Mohsen Ghajarian of the elite Revolutionary Guards
was advising pro-government forces in the fight against ISIS when he was
killed “
FULL TEXT:An Iranian general has been killed by militants in Syria, reports
say, the latest high-profile casualty of Tehran’s efforts to prop up
President Bashar al-Assad.
Brigadier General Mohsen Ghajarian of the elite Revolutionary Guards was
killed in the northern province of Aleppo, according to the Fars news
agency, which is close to the Guards.
He was advising pro-government forces in the fight against the Islamic State
of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group, it reported, without saying when he died.
MizanOnline, a news agency linked to the judiciary, also reported his death.
Fars said six Iranian “volunteers” had also been killed in Aleppo province,
where the Syrian army, backed by Russian air strikes, this week launched a
major offensive against rebels.
Iran has provided military advisers to Assad’s army, as well as Iranian,
Afghan, Iraqi and Pakistani “volunteers” to fight the rebels.
The latest deaths bring to more than 100 the number of advisers and
“volunteers” sent by Iran who have been killed in Syria since the beginning
of October, according to an AFP tally.
The casualties include General Hossein Hamedani, a veteran of the Iran-Iraq
war who died in October after having conducted 80 missions in Syria.
Assad’s forces Thursday[4 Feb. entered the villages of Nubol and Zahraa
north of Aleppo city, after breaking a rebel siege there, prompting what
Syrian state news agency SANA called “mass celebrations” in the streets.
Iranian state media was also celebrating the victory with live reports from
the battlefront.
The conflict has killed more than 260,000 people and forced half the country’s
people from their homes since March 2011.
+++SOURCE: Saudi Gazette 4 Feb.’16:”Two Israelis jailed for life,21 years
for burning Palestine teen alive”,by Agence France Presse: SUBJECT: Maximum
penalty for 2 Israelis…QUOTE:”Life sentences maximum allowed to court”
FULL TEXT:JERUSALEM — A court sentenced two young Israelis to life feband 21
years in prison Thursday[4
Feb.] for the burning alive of a Palestinian teen, part of a cycle of
violence that led up to the 2014 Gaza war.
The two Israelis were minors at the time of the chilling attack in which
they and a third man snatched Mohammed Abu Khdeir, 16, from an east
Jerusalem street and subsequently killed him.
Israeli settler Yosef Haim Ben-David, 31, is said to have led the attack on
Abu Khdeir but his lawyers say he suffers from a mental illness and was not
responsible for his actions at the time.
The court has found that he committed the crime but is yet to rule if he is
mentally competent.
The two others were 16 when they were charged in 2014 but are now adults.
They have not been identified because they were minors.
Life sentences were the maximum available to the court. — AFP
+++SOURCE:Naharnet (Lebanon) 4 Feb.’16:”Saudi Says Iranian Pilgrims Welcome
despite Rift”, by Agence France Presse
SUBJECT:Iran pilgrims welcome in Saudi
QUOTE:” ‘Any Muslim welcome in Mecca and Medina…and this includes the
Iranian pilgrims’ “
FULL TEXT:Iranian pilgrims are still welcome to visit Islam's holiest sites
in Saudi Arabia despite increased tensions between the two countries,
Riyadh's foreign minister said on Thursday.
"Any Muslim is welcome in Mecca and Medina... and this includes the Iranian
pilgrims," Adel al-Jubeir told reporters.
He said the political crisis between the Sunni-ruled kingdom and its
predominantly Shiite rival "has nothing to do at all" with the annual hajj
pilgrimage or the lesser pilgrimage known as umra.
The rites draw millions of faithful from around the world each year.
In January, protesters burned Riyadh's embassy in Tehran and a consulate in
Iran's second city of Mashhad to protest the Saudi execution of a prominent
cleric from the minority Shiite community.
Saudi Arabia and some of its allies cut diplomatic ties with Iran as a
result.
At a joint news conference Thursday[4 Feb] with visiting German Foreign
Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Jubeir repeated accusations that Iran's
"hostile policies" in the region for more than three decades led to the
current situation.
The two countries support opposite sides in the wars in Syria and Yemen.
Iran has also consolidated its influence in Iraq and Lebanon.
A stampede during the hajj last September that killed about 2,300 foreign
pilgrims, including hundreds of Iranians, added to tensions.
+++SOURCE:Naharnet (Lebanon)4 Feb.’16:”Billions in Aid Pledged for Syria at
London Conference, by Agence France Presse
SUBJECT:London Conference pledges billions for Syria aid
QUOTE:”Neighboring countries including Jordan and Lebanon told the
conference of their struggles to deal with the influx of millions of
Syrians”
FULL TEXT:World leaders pledged billions of dollars Thursday[4 Feb.] to help
conflict-hit Syrians, at a London conference overshadowed by the collapse of
peace talks in Geneva.
The European Union, Germany, Britain and the United States were among those
making major donations to areas including food aid, education and allowing
Syrians displaced from their homeland to find work.
But hopes that the package could make a major difference inside Syria were
weighed down by the suspension Wednesday [3 Feb]of peace talks in Geneva
until February 25.
The decision came as Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces, supported by
Russian air strikes, stepped up their offensive near the major northern city
of Aleppo, forcing nearly 40,000 civilians to flee.
Neighboring countries including Jordan and Lebanon told the conference of
their struggle to deal with the influx of millions of Syrians and urged
nations at the conference to do more to help them.
The mood among many leaders was bleak, reflecting frustration at the halt
Wednesday of the so-called proximity talks in Geneva which were seen as the
best hope for peace since the conflict erupted in March 2011.
"After five years of fighting, it's pretty incredible that as we come here
in London, the situation on the ground is actually worse, not better," U.S.
Secretary of State John Kerry said.
"If people are reduced to eating grass and leaves and killing stray animals
in order to survive, that's something that should tear at the conscience of
all civilized people," he added.
Among the biggest donors were the EU and its member states, which pledged
more than three billion euros this year.
Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose open-door policy for refugees has proved
deeply controversial in Germany, offered 2.3 billion euros ($2.6 billion) by
2018.
Britain announced £1.2 billion (1.6 million euros, $1.74 billion) and the
United States $890 million.
British Prime Minister David Cameron, who is co-hosting the conference, said
a "new approach" was needed to address "one of the worst humanitarian crises
of our time".
His government, which has agreed to take 20,000 Syrian refugees by 2020,
argues that those displaced are best helped close to home and wants to
support neighboring countries in doing so.
Some 4.6 million Syrians have fled to nearby countries -- Jordan, Lebanon,
Turkey, Iraq and Egypt -- while hundreds of thousands have journeyed to
Europe.
Jordan's King Abdullah II said that one in five people living in his country
was now a refugee and that it had "reached our limit".
Lebanon's Prime Minister Tammam Salam called for "empathy" and "courage".
The United Nations is appealing for nearly $8 billion, while regional
governments are seeking an extra $1.2 billion.
Organizers have already agreed that participants should at least "double"
their contributions from 2015, when they raised $3.3 billion.
Among those drumming up donations was Pakistani Nobel Peace Prize winner
Malala Yousafzai, who is campaigning for $1.4 billion of donations to help
educate children inside Syria and in refugee camps.
"The key thing about the future of Syria is the education of the Syrian
refugee children and that is how we can ensure the future is strong," the
18-year-old said.
Representatives of Syrian charities attending the event noted that many more
colleagues had been unable to make it as they had not been granted visas.
During one session, Rouba Mhaissen, founder of Sawa For Development And Aid,
asked how many Syrians were in the room -- and only two people put their
hands up.
Fadi Hallisso, co-founder of Basmeh and Zeitooneh (Smile and Olive) which
works with refugees in Turkey and Lebanon, stressed the importance of
protecting Syrians as a priority.
"We are at the beginning of the right track but we have to watch to see that
countries are committing to what they have pledged," he told AFP.
But he added that he was "not over-optimistic either because what is the
point of constructing a school if it is bombarded?"
==================
Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA
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