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Friday, March 1, 2013

U.S. to send direct aid to the Syrian rebels but not arm


United States fulfilled its promises to step up aid to the Syrian opposition and announced at the meeting of the Friends of Syria in Rome direct donation of $ 60 million , but, again, it was specified that no weapons will be discussed. The new Secretary of State, John Kerry, arrived in Rome after several visits to various European capitals with the promise of U.S. President Barak Obama, to take a "significant step" in the compromise on the Syrian conflict. Therefore, before meeting with the representatives of the international community, Kerry met at a hotel with Roman first leader of the National Coalition Syria (CNFROS), main opposition alliance, Ahmed Muaz Al Khatib, to listen to their requests. However, again, the request of the Syrian opposition urgent shipment of weapons to the Free Syrian Army went unheeded. These 60 million pledged by the U.S. administration, Kerry said, will be donated "directly and every day to rebuild areas devastated by bombing and provide services to the liberated areas and maintain stability and lead to the rule of law Sirius ". "Time's up." Syrian President Bashar Assad "must leave power" and Kerry began his statement, adding that the United States will continue to work for a "political solution" to the conflict. "The sooner we start, the sooner we end the slaughter of innocent victims. We have imposed sanctions to (prevent) that funds reach the regime, and we will continue with humanitarian aid, "said Kerry, who said that until now have been granted aid to Syria worth $ 385 million. Kerry said that all channels have been activated for the granting of these funds is made of "very quickly" because I could not waste any more time. The Secretary of State explained that it announced today is part of a group of initiatives that emerged in the meeting and will be further elaborated to assist the Syrian opposition, Al Khatib thanked aid, but not enough. "We have asked the ministers to commit to force the regime to accept humanitarian corridors," said Al Khatib, who recounted the dramatic situation facing cities like Homs, besieged for 250 days, or Deraa, cradle of the protest movement against regime. Khatib described torture and indiscriminate killings by the regime and stressed the need to "give the people revolutionary all means to defend itself." "Behold the blood of Syrian children, now mixed with bread ovens bombed, instead of the beard of the rebel soldiers," Al Khatib said, referring to fears that aid U.S. arms ending in hands radical Islamists. The meeting, attended by foreign ministers of nine so-called "friends of Syria" among them the Italian Giulio Terzi, Britain's William Hague, and the Turk, Ahmet Davutoglu, there was a strong call for Bashar al-Assad leaves immediately stop the violence and power. Meanwhile, Terzi announced that this meeting was "a step forward" to facilitate greater support humanitarian and logistical material, and indicated that it is exploring the possibility of creating humanitarian corridors.

BANGLADESH | Islamist sympathizers against security forces More than 30 killed during protests against a judgment in Bangladesh


The sentencing to death of a leader of the largest Islamic party in Bangladesh for war crimes committed during the conflict with Pakistan in 1971 sparked Thursday violent protests that left at least 31 dead and many injured, local media reported. According to the Independent Television, many activists of the student wing of the party Jamaat-i-Islami , were shot dead by police. Also killed a leader of the Awami League, in government, in an attack allegedly by activists of Jamaat. According to the police officer Manjur Rahman, two members of the security forces killed by protesters lynched. After the incidents, Jamaat-e-Islami spoke of 50 dead and called a general strike of 48 hours and a protest on Sunday against the police action. Delawar Hossain Sayedee, 73, vice president of the opposition party Jamaat-i-Islami, was convicted by a special court for their involvement in murder, looting, rape, arson and forced conversions of Hindus to Islam during the war of independence. His lawyer said he would appeal the sentence. ATM Fazle Kabir Judge announced the verdict in his presence and amid tight security, due to the general strike called by the opposition party, which demanded the release of the accused. Upon hearing the sentence, the Islamist party supporters took to the streets to protest in several cities and clashed with police. Protesters torched a railway bridge linking the capital Dhaka with the port city of Chittagong , which forced the closure of the route to traffic for two hours. The court and sentenced to death in absentia former party leader Abdul Kalam Azad for his involvement in the same crimes. In early February, the deputy secretary general of the Islamist party, Abdul Quader Mollah , was sentenced to life imprisonment. The pro-government protesters carry four weeks in the streets calling for the death penalty for all war criminals and banning the party. They face Islamist demonstrators, who criticize the trial of 13 suspected war criminals to consider impeachment. Groups human rights advocates also expressed concern about the fairness of the process. The present Bangladesh was part of Pakistan after the end of the British colony in 1947. In 1971 began a war for independence with the help of India. According to historians killed between 300,000 and three million people.