Syria Extends Arab League Observer Mission

January 25, 2012 by

Syria has extended the Arab League monitors’ mission for one month, Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdessi told CNN Tuesday.

This comes after the league voted Sunday to extend the mission. Syrian media quoted the Foreign Ministry as saying the mission will last until February 22. Foreign Minister Walid Moallem sent a letter to Arab League Secretary-General Nabil el-Araby notifying him of Syria’s agreement to the extension.

The six nations from the Gulf Cooperation Council withdrew their observers because of continuing bloodshed in Syria and the government’s “lack of commitment” to adhere fully to the plan it agreed to with the Arab League. The bloc includes Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. Saudi Arabia decided to pull out its monitors Sunday and the other countries followed Tuesday.

A draft U.N. resolution on Syria obtained Tuesday by CNN calls on “all states” to take steps similar to those taken by the Arab League last November, when it imposed sanctions on Syrian authorities. The 22-member Arab League has called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime to stop violence against civilians, to free political detainees, to remove tanks and weapons from cities, and to allow outsiders — including the international news media — to travel freely in Syria.

El-Araby and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Jasem Al Hamad sent a letter to the United Nations Tuesday requesting a meeting with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the league’s proposed national unity government for Syria, according to an Arab League official. The official asked not to be named because he is not authorized to speak with the media.

 

Source: CNN

Image: IBN Live

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U.S. Carrier Passes Through Gulf Without Incident Despite Threats

January 23, 2012 by

Flanked by British and French ships as backup, the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier moved through the Strait of Hormuz without incident Sunday despite recent threats from Iran.

The U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said in a statement that the Lincoln “completed a regular and routine transit of the strait … to conduct maritime security operations.” The Lincoln is in the region with the USS Carl Vinson, giving the U.S. Navy its standard two-carrier presence there.

Several weeks ago, as the USS John Stennis left the Persian Gulf and headed back to the western Pacific, Iranian officials warned the United States not to send in another carrier. Tehran has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, the only outlet to and from the Persian Gulf between Iran and the United Arab Emirates as well as Oman, as Iran faces increased scrutiny over its nuclear program and possible sanctions on its oil exports. The critical shipping lane had 17 million barrels of oil per day passing through in 2011, according to the U.S. Energy Information Agency.

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has responded by threatening to “respond” if Iran attempts to shut down traffic. He said that the U.S. naval and military presence in the region will not change and the current level is sufficient to deal with any situation that could arise.

 

Source: CNN

Image: The Telegraph

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