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Ankara Says No Plan for Erdogan to Meet Assad

Turkish bombing on sites of the “Manbij Military Council” (X)
Turkish bombing on sites of the “Manbij Military Council” (X)
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Ankara Says No Plan for Erdogan to Meet Assad

Turkish bombing on sites of the “Manbij Military Council” (X)
Turkish bombing on sites of the “Manbij Military Council” (X)

A newspaper report that Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is incorrect, a Turkish diplomatic source said.

Türkiye's Daily Sabah newspaper cited an unidentified source as saying that such a meeting could take place in August in Moscow, with Russian President Vladimir Putin as a mediator.

The diplomatic source, speaking to a group of journalists on Monday after the report appeared, said there was no such plan, Reuters reported.

Türkiye has long been one of the main backers of Assad's opponents in the Syrian civil war which began in 2011, while Russia is one of Assad's main battlefield allies, having helped him restore control over most of Syria.

Asked about the report of a potential meeting in Moscow between Assad and Erdogan, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not confirm any specific plans but said Russia would like to see improved relations between the two countries.

"The issue of facilitating the organization of certain contacts between Turkish and Syrian representatives at various levels is really on the agenda.

"Many countries, and of course Russia as a country that plays a significant role in the region, are interested in helping the two countries to establish relations. This is very important for the whole region."

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Knesset Votes to Label UNRWA a Terror Organization

FILED - 30 June 2022, Israel, Jerusalem: Overview of the Israeli Knesset. Photo: Ilia Yefimovich/dpa
FILED - 30 June 2022, Israel, Jerusalem: Overview of the Israeli Knesset. Photo: Ilia Yefimovich/dpa
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Knesset Votes to Label UNRWA a Terror Organization

FILED - 30 June 2022, Israel, Jerusalem: Overview of the Israeli Knesset. Photo: Ilia Yefimovich/dpa
FILED - 30 June 2022, Israel, Jerusalem: Overview of the Israeli Knesset. Photo: Ilia Yefimovich/dpa

The Israeli parliament gave preliminary approval on Monday to a bill that declares the main United Nations relief organization for Palestinians a terrorist organization and proposes to sever relations with the body.
The vote against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) is the latest step in a Israeli push against the agency, which Israeli leaders have accused of collaborating with Hamas in Gaza.
The bill was approved in a first reading and will be returned to the foreign affairs and defense committee for further deliberation, the Knesset information service said.
According to Reuters, the bill's sponsor, Yulia Malinovsky, was quoted as describing UNRWA as a "fifth column within Israel.”
UNRWA provides education, health and aid to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. It has long had tense relations with Israel but relations have deteriorated sharply since the start of the war in Gaza and Israel has called repeatedly for UNRWA to be disbanded.
"It's another attempt in a wider campaign to dismantle the agency," UNRWA spokesperson Juliette Touma said. "Such steps are unheard of in the history of the United Nations."
Israel has said hundreds of UNRWA staff are members of terrorist groups, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, but has yet to provide evidence to a UN-appointed review.
Several donor countries halted funding to UNRWA following the Israeli accusations but many have since reversed the decision, including Britain which said last week it would resume funding.