Photo Credit: Reuters/Mladen Antonov/Pool

Kerry, Lavrov Optimistic About Syria Talks; UN Passes Resolution

Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed optimism Wednesday that the peace talks on the Syrian conflict they're organizing will be successful. After a meeting with Lavrov in Sweden, Kerry said, "Both of ...

Photo Credit: AP

Bahrain Govt Cancels U.N. Torture Rapporteur’s Visit

In a statement, United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture Juan E. Méndez expressed "deep disappointment" that the Government of Bahrain decided to cancel his visit scheduled to take place May 8-15. The Bahrain News Agency originally reported ...

Photo Credit: Reuters/Allison Joyce

U.S. Rescinds Proposal for Rights Observers in Western Sahara

A U.S.-backed proposal to require the U.N.'s observer mission in occupied Western Sahara to monitor human rights abuses has been rescinded. U.S. diplomats dropped calls to enhance the U.N'.'s observer mission to the disputed territory after ...

Photo Credit: humanrightshouse.org

Morocco Rejects Plan to Monitor Human Rights

The Moroccan government Monday categorically rejected a proposal to allow the U.N. observer mission in the disputed Western Sahara to monitor alleged human rights abuses. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon last week suggested in a report to the ...

Photo Credit: AP

Kerry, Syrian Opposition to Meet; Syria Bars U.N.Team

Secretary of State John Kerry announced today that he will meet with the Syrian opposition in London later this week. The list of attendees from the opposition is not yet finalized. Speaking as he departed Israel, Kerry 

Photo Credit: AFP 2013/Jewel Samad

Libyan Ambassador to U.S. Resigns

Ali Aujali, Libya's ambassador to the U.S., resigned Monday evening. He did not give a reason for his departure.  Serving as former Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi's ambassador to the U.S. since 2009, Aujali quit that post at the onset of the ...

POMED Notes: Senate Hearing “Syria’s Humanitarian Crisis”

On Tuesday, March 19, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Subcommittee on Near East and South and Central Asian Affairs held a hearing titled “Syria’s Humanitarian Crisis.” The witnesses were divided into three panels. Panel 1 consisted of the Honorable Anne C. Richard, Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration, and the Honorable Nancy Lindborg, Assistant Administrator for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance at the U.S. Agency for ...

Photo Credit: Monte Wolverton

U.N. Expert: “Worsening” Human Rights in Iran

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ahmed Shaheed, reported an increase in the degree of human rights violations in Iran. Three months away from the country's next presidential ...

Credit: Reuters/Muzaffar Salman

Syrian Opposition Declines International Visit Invitations

Syria's National Coalition has announced it will not participate in a Friends of Syria summit in Rome next month. The group also declined invitations to visit Moscow and Washington. A spokesperson attributed the decision to concerns ...

Photo Credit: EPA

UN Warns of Sanctions for Yemen’s Ex-Leaders

The United Nations Security Council issued a statement Friday welcoming Yemen's upcoming National Dialogue Conference and warning of sanctions for spoilers who interfere in the Dialogue. According to the Council, these potential spoilers include former leaders, former opposition ...

Photo Credit: Reuters

Ahmadinejad Visits Egypt Amid Iranian Tensions and Arrests

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Egypt on Tuesday to attend an Organization of Islamic Cooperation conference. This is the first visit to Egypt by an Iranian president since Iran's 1979 revolution. President Mohamed Morsi met Ahmadinejad at ...

Photo Credit: Steve Helber, AP

Biden to Meet Syrian Opposition Leader

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden will meet Syrian opposition chief Mouaz al-Khatib Saturday to discuss U.S. concerns in the conflict, as well as humanitarian assistance and "non-lethal" support. Ben Rhodes, U.S. deputy national security adviser, said the U.S. ...

Photo Credit: Sandro Campardo/AP Photo

Israel Boycotts U.N. Human Rights Council Review

On Tuesday, Israel became the first country to ever boycott its U.N. Human Rights Council (HRC) review. The council requires all U.N. member states to participate in a Universal Periodic Review every four years. Israel did not attend its scheduled ...

Photo Credit:  Reuters/Handout

Leaked Cable Claims Syria Used Chemical Weapons, U.S. Downplays Report

According to a secret State Department cable from the Consul General in Istanbul, Scott Frederic Kilner, the Syrian army may have deployed chemical weapons against civilians in Homs on December 23.  The cable to Washington comes after an investigation ...

Photo Credit: Jan Buchczik

Tunisia Marks Two Years Since Revolution

Monday marked two years since protests began in Tunisia and sparked uprisings across the Middle East. Thousands of secular Tunisians protested the Islamist government on the revolution's anniversary, expressing frustration with unemployment, rising prices, and religious violence. Although analyses ...

Photo Credit: AFP / STR

U.S., Russia Talks on Syria Stall

Envoys from the United States, Russia, and the United Nations met on Friday to discuss a political solution to the conflict in Syria. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, and U.N. envoy ...

SNC Eyes UN Seat

Syrian Opposition Seeks UN, Arab League Seats

Photo Credit:  AFP/Bulent Kilic As part of an effort to bolster a transitional government, the Syrian National Coalition has urged the international community to recognize the opposition's right to take Syria's seats at the U.N. and Arab League, ...

Photo Credit: Khaled Al-Hariri/Reuters

Syrians Exchange Prisoners, Brahimi Criticizes Assad

The Syrian government released 2,139 prisoners in exchange for 48 Iranians held by rebel forces on Wednesday, the largest swap to occur since the beginning of the conflict. Reportedly among the released prisoners was Rima Dali, a Syrian ...

Tuesday

Syrian NCB Rejects Assad’s Speech, Violence Spreads

The National Coordination Body for Democratic Change in Syria (NCB), the opposition group reportedly "tolerated" by the government, rejected President Bashar al-Assad's recent call for dialogue. The NCB, which the Free Syrian Army accuses of being "not real" and "the other ...

Photo Credit: Shaam News Network/Reuters

Increasing Pessimism Over U.N. Approach to Syria

Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah proclaimed earlier this week, “Anyone who thinks that the armed opposition is capable of the military battle is very mistaken,’” referring to the conflict in Syria. Russian President Vladimir Putin on the ...

Next Page »

Featuring Recent Posts WordPress Widget development by YD

Extension Factory Builder