International
Rival powers in Syria take steps to end the war and start a dialogue
The two main allies of the Syrian Government, Iran and Russia, and the greatest support of the armed opposition to President Bashar al Asad, Turkey, brought positions closer this Saturday to call for a cessation of hostilities in the midst of the offensive of the Islamist rebels and begin a dialogue that ends the war in Syria.
The Doha Forum was the scene of the first contact between the foreign ministers of these three powers that guarantee the ceasefire in Syria and that are part of the so-called Astana Format, a mechanism established in 2017 to find a solution to the war in the Arab country.
“We firmly confirm our call to respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Syria. We call for the immediate cessation of war actions and the beginning of the dialogue between the Government and the legal opposition forces,” said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during his speech at the forum.
Consensus between the parties
On November 27, an insurgent coalition led by the Liberation Agency of the Levant (heir to the former Syrian subsidiary of Al Qaeda) launched an offensive against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Asad, and in just over a week, they have controlled the cities of Aleppo and Hama, both provincial capitals.
They are now at the gates of the city of Homs, in central Syria, and in case they control it they would further isolate Damascus, since it would cut the land connection with the Mediterranean coast.
This new crisis has set off all the alarms in the Middle East, something that is becoming evident this weekend in Doha, where most of the discussions and interviews revolve around the delicate situation that Syria is going through and the uncertain future of Al Asad.
In Doha, the Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi, also insisted that “there was a consensus among all participants that the conflict must end immediately, the territorial integrity of Syria must be respected and, most importantly, the political dialogue between the Syrian Government and the legitimate opposition groups must continue.”
In the midst of the meetings between the heads of the diplomacy of Iran, Turkey and Russia, the Turkish president, the Islamist Recep Tayyip Erdogan, also called on all sides involved in the conflict in Syria, as well as “international organizations”, to protect the territorial unity of the Arab country.
“The best thing for our region will be that all actors who have responsibilities, all international organizations, support the protection of the territorial integrity of Syria,” Erdogan said during a speech to his party in the Turkish city of Gaziantep.
A “fundamentally different” process
Among the participants of these high-level meetings in Doha was also the UN special envoy for Syria, Geir O. Pedersen, who said in a brief appearance before the media that Turkey, Russia and Iran want to end the crisis and start a political process.
“I have called for urgent political talks in Geneva to implement Security Council resolution 2254. I am pleased to say that the ministers and everyone I am talking to support this appeal, and my hope is that a date for it can be announced very soon,” Pedersen said.
He thus referred to the resolution that in 2015 was unanimously approved by the UN Security Council, which lays the foundations for the achievement of a ceasefire and a negotiated solution to the conflict in force in Syria since 2011.
“My hope is that we can announce a date for this very soon,” said the diplomat, who said that he also held consultations with representatives of the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Germany and the European Union, and that these meetings will continue on Sunday, at a time when the situation in Syria “changes every minute.”
“The need for an orderly political transition has never been more urgent, starting with the urgent formation of credible and inclusive transitional arrangements in Syria,” said Pedersen, who added that this requires “a serious and urgent process, fundamentally different from what has happened so far.”
This new process, according to the special envoy, should be the beginning of a roadmap that “leads to the realization of the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people and the restoration of the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Syria.”
International
Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka
Japanese police arrested a man on Thursday after he rammed his car into a group of seven schoolchildren in an apparent deliberate attack in the city of Osaka.
The children, who were on their way home from school, sustained injuries and were taken to the hospital. All seven remained conscious, according to local authorities.
An Osaka police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the suspect is a 28-year-old man from Tokyo. The officer shared statements the man made after his arrest: “I was fed up with everything, so I decided to kill people by driving into several elementary school children,” the suspect reportedly said.
The man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
The injured children, aged between seven and eight, included a seven-year-old girl who suffered a fractured jaw. The six other children—all boys—suffered minor injuries such as bruises and scratches and were undergoing medical evaluation.
Witnesses described the car as “zigzagging” before hitting the children. One witness told Nippon TV that a girl was “covered in blood” and the others appeared to have scratches.
Another witness said the driver, who was wearing a face mask, looked to be in shock when school staff pulled him from the vehicle.
Violent crimes are rare in Japan, though serious incidents do occur from time to time. In 2008, Tomohiro Kato drove a two-ton truck into pedestrians in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, then fatally stabbed several victims. Seven people were killed in that attack.
Internacionales
Clashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages
May Day protests in France were marked by a heavy police presence and clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement in several cities.
In Paris, Lyon, and Nantes, thousands took to the streets to demand better wages, fairer working conditions, and to voice their dissatisfaction with President Emmanuel Macron’s government.
While the majority of the demonstrations remained peaceful, isolated confrontations broke out in some areas. Protesters threw objects at the police, prompting the use of tear gas and resulting in several arrests.
Videos showing police crackdowns circulated widely on social media, drawing criticism from labor unions and human rights advocates, who denounced the authorities’ response to the protests.
International
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.
During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.
“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.
“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”
Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.
On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.
Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka
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