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'Sochi' Postponed… Riyadh Conference Ahead of Geneva

UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura - Reuters.
UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura - Reuters.
    London, Baghdad, Beirut - Asharq Al-Awsat
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'Sochi' Postponed… Riyadh Conference Ahead of Geneva

UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura - Reuters.
UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura - Reuters.

Syrian opposition groups have already started preparations to guarantee the success of their expanded conference in Riyadh before being hosted in Geneva next Nov. 28 by UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura, reports said on Friday.

Meanwhile, informed sources said that Russia decided to postpone the "Syrian Congress on National Dialogue" which was scheduled in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi next Nov. 18.

Following talks with Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Secretary General Thomas Greminger on Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said invitations to the Congress have been sent to all the opposition forces based in Syria and abroad, and to the Syrian regime.

"Many of those invited have already confirmed their participation, including the Syrian government," Lavrov stressed. "This is why the Congress is expected to be quite representative," he said.

It was noticed on Friday that the Russian foreign ministry has removed from its electronic website the list of the parties invited to the Sochi congress, including 33 groups that are opposed or loyal to the Syrian regime.

The sources confirmed that talks have already been initiated between opposition parties and de Mistura’s team to guarantee the success of the Riyadh conference before resuming talks in Geneva.

Separately, ISIS seemed on the way to conclusion after being defeated in east Syria and west Iraq in the last days.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced on Friday that Iraqi forces have liberated Al-Qaim from the terrorist organization while Syrian regime forces were advancing towards the opposite Bukamal city, where ISIS militants currently assemble.

For its part, the Hezbollah-owned Al Manar television reported on Friday that Iraqi forces reached on Friday the main road between the Syrian city of Bukamal and the Iraqi city of al-Qaim, which are both very close.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also quoted several sources as saying that cars and vehicles have entered the city of Bukamal, loaded with ISIS militants.

The sources said that those vehicles were coming from al-Qaim area and the nearby border crossing.

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Arab World

Rescue Teams Search for Survivors in Building Collapse that Killed at Least 2 in Northern Lebanon

A Lebanese flag is pictured, in the aftermath of a massive explosion, in Beirut's damaged port area, Lebanon August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
A Lebanese flag is pictured, in the aftermath of a massive explosion, in Beirut's damaged port area, Lebanon August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
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Rescue Teams Search for Survivors in Building Collapse that Killed at Least 2 in Northern Lebanon

A Lebanese flag is pictured, in the aftermath of a massive explosion, in Beirut's damaged port area, Lebanon August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
A Lebanese flag is pictured, in the aftermath of a massive explosion, in Beirut's damaged port area, Lebanon August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

At least two people were killed and four rescued from the rubble of a multistory apartment building that collapsed Sunday in the city of Tripoli in northern Lebanon, state media reported.

Rescue teams were continuing to dig through the rubble. It was not immediately clear how many people were in the building when it fell.

The bodies pulled out were of a child and a woman, the state-run National News Agency reported.

Dozens of people crowded around the site of the crater left by the collapsed building, with some shooting in the air.

The building was in the neighborhood of Bab Tabbaneh, one of the poorest areas in Lebanon’s second largest city, where residents have long complained of government neglect and shoddy infrastructure. Building collapses are not uncommon in Tripoli due to poor building standards, according to The AP news.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry announced that those injured in the collapse would receive treatment at the state’s expense.

The national syndicate for property owners in a statement called the collapse the result of “blatant negligence and shortcomings of the Lebanese state toward the safety of citizens and their housing security,” and said it is “not an isolated incident.”

The syndicate called for the government to launch a comprehensive national survey of buildings at risk of collapse.

Arab World

Israel to Take More West Bank Powers and Relax Settler Land Buys

A view of Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the West Bank, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP)
A view of Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the West Bank, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP)
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Israel to Take More West Bank Powers and Relax Settler Land Buys

A view of Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the West Bank, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP)
A view of Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the West Bank, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP)

Israel's security cabinet approved a series of steps on Sunday that would make it easier for settlers in the occupied West Bank to buy land while granting Israeli authorities more enforcement powers over Palestinians, Israeli media reported.

The West Bank is among the territories that the Palestinians seek for a future independent state. Much of it is under Israeli military control, with limited Palestinian self-rule in some areas run by the Western-backed Palestinian Authority (PA).

Citing statements by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz, Israeli news sites Ynet and Haaretz said the measures included scrapping decades-old regulations that prevent Jewish private citizens buying land in the West Bank, The AP news reported.

They were also reported to include allowing Israeli authorities to administer some religious sites, and expand supervision and enforcement in areas under PA administration in matters of environmental hazards, water offences and damage to archaeological sites.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the new measures were dangerous, illegal and tantamount to de-facto annexation.

The Israeli ministers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The new measures come three days before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet in Washington with US President Donald Trump.

Trump has ruled out Israeli annexation of the West Bank but his administration has not sought to curb Israel's accelerated settlement building, which the Palestinians say denies them a potential state by eating away at its territory.

Netanyahu, who is facing an election later this year, deems the establishment of any Palestinian state a security threat.

His ruling coalition includes many pro-settler members who want Israel to annex the West Bank, land captured in the 1967 Middle East war to which Israel cites biblical and historical ties.

The United Nations' highest court said in a non-binding advisory opinion in 2024 that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and settlements there is illegal and should be ended as soon as possible. Israel disputes this view.

Arab World

Arab League Condemns Attack on Aid Convoys in Sudan

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
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Arab League Condemns Attack on Aid Convoys in Sudan

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit strongly condemned the attack by the Rapid Support Forces on humanitarian aid convoys and relief workers in North Kordofan State, Sudan.

In a statement reported by SPA, secretary-general's spokesperson Jamal Rushdi quoted Aboul Gheit as saying the attack constitutes a war crime under international humanitarian law, which prohibits the deliberate targeting of civilians and depriving them of their means of survival.

Aboul Gheit stressed the need to hold those responsible accountable, end impunity, and ensure the full protection of civilians, humanitarian workers, and relief facilities in Sudan.