US, Turkey, Russia, Saudi Arabia discuss Syria; Palestinians call for day of rage; Russia and Jordan discuss Syria; Philippines turn over Chinese suspects
US, Turkey, Russia, Saudi Arabia, meet to discuss political solution in Syria
The United States, Turkey, Russia, and Saudi Arabia met on Friday to discuss a political solution to the Syrian civil war. Secretary of State John Kerry met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov before opening the meeting to Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Russia has conducted three weeks of air strikes against Syrian rebel groups opposed to Assad, including some US allies. Russia continues to ignore the western demand that Assad step down, with Putin hosting the Syrian dictator in Moscow this week.
The US official policy remains that Assad must step down; with Kerry stating that Assad is the central obstacle to peace in Syria. Russia on the other hand maintains that Assad is central to any political process. Russia continues to coordinate its air strikes with the Syrian regime and it’s other allies, including Iran and the terrorist group Hezbollah.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and Turkey are the primary backers of Syrian insurgents including Al Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate Jabhat Al Nusra, and other jihadist groups.
The meetings took place in a hotel in Vienna and the talks between the four nations have unsurprisingly led to little progress.
Palestinian factions call for a “day of rage”
Palestinian factions are calling for a “day of rage” through mass rallies against Israel. After talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, Secretary of State John Kerry said he was “cautiously optimistic” about tensions easing. Hours after the call for the day of rage, a Palestinian stabbed an Israeli soldier in West Bank before being shot down by other troops. The calls for protest were backed by Hamas and the Fatah movement.
Most of the violence has been carried out by teenagers, with the attacker in the stabbing being only 16.; nine Israelis have been killed by Palestinian assailants since October 1.
The ability of key Islamist figures to successfully initiate “Days of Rage”, leading to an uptick in violence has been repeatedly demonstrated, as for example in response to the Israeli operation “Protective Edge.”
Russia and Jordan agree to military coordination in Syria
Russia and Jordan have agreed to coordinate militarily when dealing with Syria. A “special working mechanism” has been set up in the Jordanian capital of Amman. Russia has been supporting Assad by bombing Syrian rebel groups, some of whom have been trained in Jordan. Jordan maintains close ties with the US, so this shift in policy with Russia raises concerns about a lose of U.S. influence in the region to Russia.
Russia has already gained close cooperation with the governments of Iran, Iraq, and Syria. Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov also met with senior officials from the US, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia to discuss the situation in Syria. The talks took place in Vienna.
Philippines turns over two suspects in China diplomat killing
The Philippine foreign ministry announced that it will give China custody of the two suspects involved with the killing of Chinese diplomats in the Philippines. All of the participants were Chinese nationals and held diplomatic immunity.
China says that they are still investigating the shooting and trying to figure out a motive, although there is suspicion that the shooting was the result over arguments over finances. The subjects will be prosecuted for murder in China. China and the Philippines maintain anextradition treaty.
Other stories we’re following:
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