Ankara Calls on Damascus to Kick off Real National Reconciliation

Members of the pro-Türkiye Syrian National Army. (X)
Members of the pro-Türkiye Syrian National Army. (X)
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Ankara Calls on Damascus to Kick off Real National Reconciliation

Members of the pro-Türkiye Syrian National Army. (X)
Members of the pro-Türkiye Syrian National Army. (X)

Türkiye called on the United Nations Security Council to shed light on the “dead end” reached in the political crisis in Syria, saying other global crises should not detract from the Syrian file.

Türkiye's permanent ambassador to the UN Ahmet Yildiz said overnight on Thursday that despite the difficulty in reaching a lasting political solution, there is a pressing need to focus attention on Syria.

It is necessary to establish conditions that can tackle the root causes of the crisis, he urged.

This demands practical steps from the Damascus government to kick off real national reconciliation, he stressed.

Yildiz called on the Security Council to meet its responsibilities towards the crisis, expressing his “deep concern” over the “major drop” in humanitarian aid at a time when a record of nearly 17 million people are in need of that assistance.

He therefore called on donors to increase their contributions.

He also called for shedding light on the activities of the Kurdistan Workers' Party and its People’s Protection Units in Syria, warning of their separatist leanings and danger to Syria’s unity.



EU Urges Immediate Halt to Israel-Hezbollah War

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, left, meets with Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, right, in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP)
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, left, meets with Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, right, in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP)
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EU Urges Immediate Halt to Israel-Hezbollah War

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, left, meets with Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, right, in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP)
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, left, meets with Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, right, in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP)

Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell called for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war while on a visit to Lebanon on Sunday, as the group claimed attacks deep into Israel.  

The Israeli military said Iran-backed Hezbollah fired around 160 projectiles into Israel during the day. Some of them were intercepted but others caused damage to houses in central Israel, according to AFP images.  

A day after the health ministry said Israeli strikes on Beirut and across Lebanon killed 84 people, state media reported two strikes on Sunday on the capital's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold.

Israel's military said it had attacked "headquarters" of the group "hidden within civilian structures" in south Beirut.

War between Israel and Hezbollah escalated in late September, nearly a year after the group began launching strikes in solidarity with its Palestinian ally Hamas following that group's October 7 attack on Israel.

The conflict has killed at least 3,754 people in Lebanon since October 2023, according to the health ministry, most of them since September.  

On the Israeli side, authorities say at least 82 soldiers and 47 civilians have been killed.  

Earlier this week, US special envoy Amos Hochstein said in Lebanon that a truce deal was "within our grasp" and then headed to Israel for talks with officials there.  

In the Lebanese capital, Borrell held talks with parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri, who has led mediation efforts on behalf of ally Hezbollah.

"We see only one possible way ahead: an immediate ceasefire and the full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701," Borrell said.  

"Lebanon is on the brink of collapse", he warned.  

Under Resolution 1701, which ended the last Hezbollah-Israel war of 2006, Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers should be the only armed forces present in the southern border area.  

The resolution also called for Israel to withdraw troops from Lebanon, and reiterated earlier calls for "disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon."