UN Security Council Fails to Find Consensus on Venezuela Crisis

The U.N. Security Council failed to agree Thursday on either a U.S. or Russian proposal to find a way forward on the Venezuelan crisis.

The 15-nation council voted on two draft resolutions. The U.S. text had the support of the majority of the council members but was blocked by Russia and China, while a Russian draft garnered only four positive votes.

The U.S. text stressed the need to “prevent further deterioration” of the humanitarian situation and to allow unhindered access for the delivery of aid throughout the country.

The government of disputed President Nicolas Maduro has refused to recognize that there is a humanitarian crisis in the country and is not permitting aid from the United States to enter the country, saying it is a pretext for a U.S. military invasion.

The American draft also expressed “deep concern” that the May 2018 presidential elections that gave the incumbent Maduro a second six-year term were “neither free nor fair” and called for a political process leading to new elections. It also showed support for the “peaceful” restoration of democracy and rule of law.

“Regrettably, by voting against this resolution, some members of this council continue to shield Maduro and his cronies, and prolong the suffering of the Venezuelan people,” said U.S. Special Representative for Venezuela Elliott Abrams.

“Regardless of the results of today’s vote, this resolution shows that democracies around the world, and especially in Latin America, are mobilizing behind interim President [Juan] Guaido,” he said of the National Assembly leader who declared himself interim president Jan. 23.

Russian response 

The Russian resolution called for a peaceful settlement of the conflict, but added that Maduro needed to approve aid deliveries. The Russian text also expressed “concern over the threats to use force” against Venezuela.

Moscow’s envoy said Washington’s proposal was an effort to “escalate tensions and to implement their scenario for an unconstitutional change of government.” Vassily Nebenzia warned that the focus on the humanitarian situation was merely “a smoke screen.”  

“We are seriously concerned at the fact that today’s meeting may be exploited as a step for preparations of a real — not humanitarian —intervention as a pretext for external intervention as a result of the alleged inability of the Security Council to resolve the situation in Venezuela,” Nebenzia said.

Last Saturday, troops and Maduro supporters blocked the entry of trucks carrying food and medical supplies in violent clashes at Venezuela’s borders with Colombia and Brazil. Four people were killed, and dozens were injured.

Venezuela’s U.N. envoy said that Saturday’s violence was an “international incident,” not a domestic one, and he asserted that all was well in his country.

“Venezuela today is completely at peace, a peace preserved by the constitutional government of President Nicolas Maduro, who is in full exercise of his legal powers and who guarantees the protection of national territory, as well as the well-being of the Venezuelan people and effective control over the country,” Ambassador Samuel Moncada said. “Let me repeat: There is no type of violence in Venezuela. If there are threats against peace, those threats come from abroad.” 

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UN Security Council Fails to Find Consensus on Venezuela Crisis

The U.N. Security Council failed to agree Thursday on either a U.S. or Russian proposal to find a way forward on the Venezuelan crisis.

The 15-nation council voted on two draft resolutions. The U.S. text had the support of the majority of the council members but was blocked by Russia and China, while a Russian draft garnered only four positive votes.

The U.S. text stressed the need to “prevent further deterioration” of the humanitarian situation and to allow unhindered access for the delivery of aid throughout the country.

The government of disputed President Nicolas Maduro has refused to recognize that there is a humanitarian crisis in the country and is not permitting aid from the United States to enter the country, saying it is a pretext for a U.S. military invasion.

The American draft also expressed “deep concern” that the May 2018 presidential elections that gave the incumbent Maduro a second six-year term were “neither free nor fair” and called for a political process leading to new elections. It also showed support for the “peaceful” restoration of democracy and rule of law.

“Regrettably, by voting against this resolution, some members of this council continue to shield Maduro and his cronies, and prolong the suffering of the Venezuelan people,” said U.S. Special Representative for Venezuela Elliott Abrams.

“Regardless of the results of today’s vote, this resolution shows that democracies around the world, and especially in Latin America, are mobilizing behind interim President [Juan] Guaido,” he said of the National Assembly leader who declared himself interim president Jan. 23.

Russian response 

The Russian resolution called for a peaceful settlement of the conflict, but added that Maduro needed to approve aid deliveries. The Russian text also expressed “concern over the threats to use force” against Venezuela.

Moscow’s envoy said Washington’s proposal was an effort to “escalate tensions and to implement their scenario for an unconstitutional change of government.” Vassily Nebenzia warned that the focus on the humanitarian situation was merely “a smoke screen.”  

“We are seriously concerned at the fact that today’s meeting may be exploited as a step for preparations of a real — not humanitarian —intervention as a pretext for external intervention as a result of the alleged inability of the Security Council to resolve the situation in Venezuela,” Nebenzia said.

Last Saturday, troops and Maduro supporters blocked the entry of trucks carrying food and medical supplies in violent clashes at Venezuela’s borders with Colombia and Brazil. Four people were killed, and dozens were injured.

Venezuela’s U.N. envoy said that Saturday’s violence was an “international incident,” not a domestic one, and he asserted that all was well in his country.

“Venezuela today is completely at peace, a peace preserved by the constitutional government of President Nicolas Maduro, who is in full exercise of his legal powers and who guarantees the protection of national territory, as well as the well-being of the Venezuelan people and effective control over the country,” Ambassador Samuel Moncada said. “Let me repeat: There is no type of violence in Venezuela. If there are threats against peace, those threats come from abroad.” 

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Trump’s Defense of Kim in US Student’s Death Riles Some Lawmakers

U.S. lawmakers expressed anger Thursday about President Donald Trump’s defense of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who claimed he knew nothing about the alleged torture of a jailed U.S. college student who later died.

Otto Warmbier, charged with stealing a propaganda poster during an organized tour, was sentenced to 15 years at hard labor in North Korea in March 2016. 

Freed 15 months later, Warmbier, in a comatose state, died shortly after he was brought back to the United States.

Trump, speaking after his summit meeting with Kim in Hanoi, said Kim told him he felt “very badly about it” and that “he didn’t know about it, and I will take him at his word. … He knew the case very well, but he knew it later. … I don’t believe that he would have allowed that to happen. Those prisons are rough — they’re rough places, and bad things happen.” 

Several members of Congress said they had a hard time believing not only that Kim had no knowledge of the Warmbier case, but also that Trump had more faith in Kim than in his own intelligence agencies.

‘Very gullible’

“I think the president is very gullible in this regard. He seems to have a very odd affinity toward dictators,” Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii told VOA, while Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, also a Democrat, said Trump’s attempt to “exonerate” Kim was “abysmal.”

“This is a guy who is the maximum leader and when there are Americans in custody there, Kim Jong Un knows how important that is,” Kaine said. 

 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, said there was “something wrong” with Trump for choosing to believe “thugs.”

But Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota said what Trump says in public about Kim might be different from what he privately feels.

“He may very well be saying that so that he can continue a dialogue with North Korea rather than creating another area in which that becomes an item of discussion,” Rounds said to VOA.

There has been no comment from Warmbier’s parents, who were Trump’s guests at the 2018 State of the Union address, when he condemned the “depraved character” of the North Korean state and blamed its “dictatorship” for Warmbier’s injuries and death.

It is still unclear what caused Warmbier to fall into a coma while imprisoned in North Korea, but his parents say he was tortured.

A U.S. federal judge in November ordered North Korea to pay more than $500 million in damages to Warmbier’s family, but it is highly unlikely they will ever see the money. 

 

VOA’s Michael Bowman on Capitol Hill contributed to this report. 

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Two Suicide Bombs Claim at Least 15 in Mogadishu

Two suicide car bombs exploded in Mogadishu on Thursday evening, killing at least 15 people, a Somali official told VOA.

The first explosion occurred just after the 8 p.m. local time when a vehicle loaded with explosives were detonated on one of the capital’s busiest streets, Maka Al-Mukarama Road.

Eyewitnesses said dozens of people were sitting outside hotels and restaurants in the area when the bomb exploded.

Journalist Abdishakur Mohamed Mohamoud was sitting outside a coffee shop when it occurred.

“Before the explosion, a street trader saw a parked vehicle with emergency lights on, we suspected the car is exploding, we started to run and then the same car exploded,” Mohamoud told VOA. “It was a huge explosion (heard) throughout the city.”

Mohamoud said saw 13 dead bodies when he returned to the site of the explosion to help some of the wounded. He said among the dead was a well-known imam who used to lead prayers on Maka Al-Mukarama Road for people who could not reach mosques.

An hour after the explosion, a second one occurred outside another hotel near the busy K4 junction in Mogadishu. There was no confirmation of casualties from the second explosion.

Security officials also reported the sound of gunshots and detonated grenades in buildings near the site of the first explosion. A security official, who asked not to be named, told VOA Somali that several al-Shabab fighters are holed up in the building.

Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack. The group also claimed that they carried out a complex attack on Hotel Maka Al-Mukarama.

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Two Suicide Bombs Claim at Least 15 in Mogadishu

Two suicide car bombs exploded in Mogadishu on Thursday evening, killing at least 15 people, a Somali official told VOA.

The first explosion occurred just after the 8 p.m. local time when a vehicle loaded with explosives were detonated on one of the capital’s busiest streets, Maka Al-Mukarama Road.

Eyewitnesses said dozens of people were sitting outside hotels and restaurants in the area when the bomb exploded.

Journalist Abdishakur Mohamed Mohamoud was sitting outside a coffee shop when it occurred.

“Before the explosion, a street trader saw a parked vehicle with emergency lights on, we suspected the car is exploding, we started to run and then the same car exploded,” Mohamoud told VOA. “It was a huge explosion (heard) throughout the city.”

Mohamoud said saw 13 dead bodies when he returned to the site of the explosion to help some of the wounded. He said among the dead was a well-known imam who used to lead prayers on Maka Al-Mukarama Road for people who could not reach mosques.

An hour after the explosion, a second one occurred outside another hotel near the busy K4 junction in Mogadishu. There was no confirmation of casualties from the second explosion.

Security officials also reported the sound of gunshots and detonated grenades in buildings near the site of the first explosion. A security official, who asked not to be named, told VOA Somali that several al-Shabab fighters are holed up in the building.

Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack. The group also claimed that they carried out a complex attack on Hotel Maka Al-Mukarama.

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Catholic Bishops Express Doubt Over South Sudan Peace Implementation

The bishops of the Catholic Church in South Sudan are expressing concern about the future of South Sudan’s peace agreement, signed last year.

The bishops said in a statement Thursday they welcomed the agreement as a step forward.

“However, the concrete situation on the ground demonstrates that it is not addressing the root causes of the conflict in South Sudan,” they said.

The bishops said human rights abuses continue with impunity, including murder, rape, widespread sexual violence, looting and occupation of civilian land and property in South Sudan.

“There is no will or commitment for peace among many of our leaders, hate speech and propaganda abound, and there is a thirst for revenge among our communities,” the bishops said.

The statement said many of the committees and commissions mandated by the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan, (R-ARCSS), have not been set up or are late in getting started.

President Salva Kiir’s government, the main rebel group led by former vice president Riek Machar and most other armed groups signed the peace deal designed to end South Sudan’s five-year civil war. 

However, Angelina Teny, the chairperson of the strategic defense security board, a body tasked with security arrangements, said not much has been achieved.

Rebel forces were supposed to be gathered on bases before being integrated into the national army.

“That is the prerequisite for the formation of the TGONU (Transitional Government of National Unity),” she noted. But the process has yet to begin, only two months before the “transitional” period defined in the peace deal begins.

Church recommendations

South Sudanese Catholic Church leaders said one of the key drivers of the current conflict is the number of states and their boundaries.

Kiir redrew South Sudan’s map five years ago, increasing the number of states.

“The consequences of not settling the controversial issue of the 32 states before the onset of the transitional period, and of not fully consulting the people on the ground, are too grave to ignored,” the bishops said.

The church made 17 recommendations to the South Sudan government, stressing the need for an inclusive approach to the search for peace in South Sudan.

“While we thank the (regional bloc) IGAD for its efforts, we note that the government of South Sudan is a member of IGAD and that other IGAD members have their own national interests. It thus becomes difficult for IGAD to act as a truly impartial mediator,” the statement said.

Official’s response

South Sudanese Information Minister Michael Makuie Lueth reacted angrily to the bishops’ statement.

“I am sorry and disappointed to hear such comments from a renowned religious sect,” he said Thursday. “I am saying this because it is our strongest belief that the agreement addresses all the concerns of the people of South Sudan. It is fighting corruption. It is for reform. It is for democratic transfer of power, and it is for all the things for which everybody has been yearning.”

The information minister is on a tour of the Bahr el Gahzal area with Kiir to drum up support for the peace agreement.

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Catholic Bishops Express Doubt Over South Sudan Peace Implementation

The bishops of the Catholic Church in South Sudan are expressing concern about the future of South Sudan’s peace agreement, signed last year.

The bishops said in a statement Thursday they welcomed the agreement as a step forward.

“However, the concrete situation on the ground demonstrates that it is not addressing the root causes of the conflict in South Sudan,” they said.

The bishops said human rights abuses continue with impunity, including murder, rape, widespread sexual violence, looting and occupation of civilian land and property in South Sudan.

“There is no will or commitment for peace among many of our leaders, hate speech and propaganda abound, and there is a thirst for revenge among our communities,” the bishops said.

The statement said many of the committees and commissions mandated by the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan, (R-ARCSS), have not been set up or are late in getting started.

President Salva Kiir’s government, the main rebel group led by former vice president Riek Machar and most other armed groups signed the peace deal designed to end South Sudan’s five-year civil war. 

However, Angelina Teny, the chairperson of the strategic defense security board, a body tasked with security arrangements, said not much has been achieved.

Rebel forces were supposed to be gathered on bases before being integrated into the national army.

“That is the prerequisite for the formation of the TGONU (Transitional Government of National Unity),” she noted. But the process has yet to begin, only two months before the “transitional” period defined in the peace deal begins.

Church recommendations

South Sudanese Catholic Church leaders said one of the key drivers of the current conflict is the number of states and their boundaries.

Kiir redrew South Sudan’s map five years ago, increasing the number of states.

“The consequences of not settling the controversial issue of the 32 states before the onset of the transitional period, and of not fully consulting the people on the ground, are too grave to ignored,” the bishops said.

The church made 17 recommendations to the South Sudan government, stressing the need for an inclusive approach to the search for peace in South Sudan.

“While we thank the (regional bloc) IGAD for its efforts, we note that the government of South Sudan is a member of IGAD and that other IGAD members have their own national interests. It thus becomes difficult for IGAD to act as a truly impartial mediator,” the statement said.

Official’s response

South Sudanese Information Minister Michael Makuie Lueth reacted angrily to the bishops’ statement.

“I am sorry and disappointed to hear such comments from a renowned religious sect,” he said Thursday. “I am saying this because it is our strongest belief that the agreement addresses all the concerns of the people of South Sudan. It is fighting corruption. It is for reform. It is for democratic transfer of power, and it is for all the things for which everybody has been yearning.”

The information minister is on a tour of the Bahr el Gahzal area with Kiir to drum up support for the peace agreement.

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Trump, Kim Summit Ends With No Agreement 

U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ended their summit Thursday earlier than planned, skipping a scheduled lunch and signing ceremony.

“No agreement was reached at this time, but their respective teams look forward to meeting in the future,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement.

She called the two days of meetings in Hanoi, Vietnam “very good and constructive.”

Trump is to give a press conference before flying home.

​Earlier optimism

Earlier in the day, both Trump and Kim expressed optimism for their discussions about North Korea’s nuclear program.

Kim left open the possibility of denuclearization, saying in response to a reporter’s question, “If I’m not willing to do that, I wouldn’t be here right now.”

When asked if he is willing to take concrete steps toward denuclearization, Kim said that is what was under discussion.

Trump said he thinks the relationship between the two sides is better than it has ever been.

“I think no matter what happens we’re going to ultimately have a deal that’s really good for Chairman Kim and his country and for us. I think ultimately that’s what’s going to happen,” Trump said.

Patience, lowered expectations

At the start of their talks Thursday, Trump expressed a position of patience when it comes to the nuclear talks with North Korea.

“What’s important is we get it right,” he said.

Trump predicted longterm “fantastic success” when it comes to North Korea, saying the country will be “an economic powerhouse.”

While some U.S. officials attempted to lower expectations for the outcome of the second summit, Trump was under pressure to extract something beyond the vague commitment made by Kim last June in Singapore on pledging to give up his nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles in exchange for a lifting of crushing international sanctions on the impoverished country.

The Singapore summit was hailed as a historical event as Washington and Pyongyang have never had diplomatic relations. When Trump took office there were fears of a renewed war with North Korea as the U.S. president threatened to unleash “fire and fury like the world has never seen” on the northeast Asian country in response to its threats against the United States and its allies.

During their talks Thursday, both Trump and Kim also expressed a favorable view of the possibility of North Korea allowing the United States to open an office in Pyongyang.

“It’s actually not a bad idea,” Trump said, after the prospect was raised by a reporter.

“I think that’s something which is welcomeable,” Kim said.

​Some US skepticism

U.S. intelligence officials remain skeptical that Pyongyang intends to follow through on Kim’s Singapore pledge to denuclearize.

Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told a congressional panel last month that North Korea “has halted its provocative behavior” by refraining from missile tests and nuclear tests for more than a year. “As well, Kim Jong Un continues to demonstrate openness to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”

Despite the end to testing, Coats cautioned that “we currently assess that North Korea will seek to retain its (weapons of mass destruction) capabilities and is unlikely to completely give up its nuclear weapons and production capabilities.”

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Zimbabwe’s Ailing Economy Tarnishes Gold’s Glitter

Zimbabwe might have surpassed its 2018 gold production target, but some say there is little to show for it as the country’s economy remains in crisis. 

Kudzanayi Zvomuya is a small-scale gold panner in Bindura, about 100 kilometers north of Harare, waiting while his 20-plus kilograms of stones are processed to see how much gold they contain. 

This 31-year-old man is among many people in this mineral-rich area who have abandoned farming for gold mining. However, Zvomuya says not much has changed for him financially since he gave up farming six years ago.

Remaining hopeful

Gold is a good source of income, he said, but some risks are involved, such as becoming trapped underground. But there is nothing anyone can do, given the harsh economic environment, he added. Others have managed to buy cattle or built nice houses through gold, so, “I am hopeful,” he said.

Zvomuya later crawls into a dilapidated office made of poles and grass, where a waiting buyer pays him for the gold, but neither reveals how much.

He has an appeal to President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government, which resembles that of another small-scale miner, 27-year-old Norman Jomupi.

“They should equip us with electric pumps to drain water underground or if we are working in or near rivers,” Jomupi said. “Plus as youths, they should give us our land to mine. Here we are just mining but we do not own it.”

Small miners need support

Small miners accounted for 50 percent of Zimbabwe’s 2018 gold production of 33 tons. Despite the figures, analysts point to corruption, mismanagement and a lack of proper policies as reasons for Zimbabwe’s failure to benefit much from the country’s mineral wealth.

Tinashe Chisaira, a lawyer from People and Earth Solidarity Law Network, sees another reason.

“I can’t really say we are failing to drive value from gold as a nation,” he said. “Gold is already valuable as a mineral. But what I can say is that the state is failing to support certain institutions involved in the gold extraction sector for example, the artisanal and small scale miners.”

The government minerals monitoring agency says the issue of property rights has to be addressed to bring a smile to small-scale miners like Zvomunya and Jomupi, who are toiling for Zimbabwe.

Mines Minister Winston Chitando says small miners are helping the economy.

“We have the Zimbabwe Mining Federation, the entity which the government is working with, to coordinate the activities of the small-mining sector. In terms of statistics, we did 33 tons of gold (in 2018) of which over 50 percent came from [the] artisanal mining sector. We also have a lot of artisanal mining in the chrome ore where, again, we estimate that over 50 percent of chrome come from artisanal miners,” he said.

But regardless of that, the small-scale miners, and most Zimbabweans, still suffer from shortages of basic commodities, such as fuel, bread and foreign currency, in a country rich in resources such as lithium, diamonds and platinum. Zimbabwe is in the midst of its severest economic crisis in a decade. 

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The Glitter of Zimbabwe Gold Fails to Brighten Economy

Zimbabwe might have surpassed its 2018 gold production target, but its glitter has not brightened Zimbabwe’s moribund economy. Columbus Mavhunga reports for VOA from Harare.

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US-China Trade Talks ‘Not Close’

The top U.S. trade official said Wednesday that a new trade agreement with China is not yet close to being completed. State Department correspondent Nike Ching reports from Washington on the latest in the talks and how U.S. concerns over high-tech issues remain a key point of friction. VOA Mandarin reporter Yihua Lee contributes.

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Kim Would Not Be Having Summit With Trump, He Says, if Not Open to Denuclearization 

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un left open the possibility of denuclearization during his meeting Thursday with U.S. President Donald Trump.

“If I’m not willing to do that, I wouldn’t be here right now,” Kim said in response to a question from reporters in Hanoi, Vietnam.

When asked if he is willing to take concrete steps toward denuclearization, Kim said that is what is under discussion.

Trump said the two leaders are having “very productive discussions” and that he thinks the relationship between the two sides is better than it has ever been.

“I think no matter what happens we’re going to ultimately have a deal that’s really good for Chairman Kim and his country and for us. I think ultimately that’s what’s going to happen,” Trump said.

Important ‘we get it right’

The short-term, concrete outcome of the two-day summit was not clear as it neared its conclusion Thursday.

The day’s schedule released by the White House originally included a signing ceremony for some unspecified document. But when Press Secretary Sarah Sanders announced that a planned news conference would be moving up by two hours, she declined to comment on whether the signing would take place.

At the start of their meeting Thursday, Trump expressed a position of patience when it comes to the nuclear talks with North Korea.

“What’s important is we get it right,” Trump said.

WATCH: President Trump Looking for ‘Right Deal’; Kim Not Pessimistic

Trump predicted long term “fantastic success” when it comes to North Korea, saying the country will be “an economic powerhouse.”

Kim noted the attention the summit is garnering, likening it to a fantasy movie while saying he will do his best to “bring a good result.”

Lowered expectations

While some U.S. officials have attempted to lower expectations for the outcome of the second summit, Trump is under pressure to extract something beyond the vague commitment made by Kim last June in Singapore on pledging to give up his nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles in exchange for a lifting of crushing international sanctions on the impoverished country.

The Singapore summit was hailed as a historical event as Washington and Pyongyang have never had diplomatic relations. When Trump took office there were fears of a renewed war with North Korea as the U.S. president threatened to unleash “fire and fury like the world has never seen” on the northeast Asian country in response to its threats against the United States and its allies.

During their talks Thursday, both Trump and Kim also expressed a favorable view of the possibility of North Korea allowing the United States to open an office in Pyongyang.

“It’s actually not a bad idea,” Trump said, after the prospect was raised by a reporter.

“I think that’s something which is welcomeable,” Kim said.

Some US skepticism

U.S. intelligence officials remain skeptical that Pyongyang intends to follow through on Kim’s Singapore pledge to denuclearize.

Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told a congressional panel last month that North Korea “has halted its provocative behavior” by refraining from missile tests and nuclear tests for more than a year. “As well, Kim Jong Un continues to demonstrate openness to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”

Despite the end to testing, Coats cautioned that “we currently assess that North Korea will seek to retain its (weapons of mass destruction) capabilities and is unlikely to completely give up its nuclear weapons and production capabilities.”

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Congo Ebola Center Set on Fire After Armed Attack

Armed assailants attacked an Ebola treatment center in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday, setting off a fire and becoming embroiled in an extended gun battle with security forces, health officials said.

The identity and motive of the assailants were unclear. Aid workers have faced mistrust in some areas as they work to contain an Ebola outbreak.

Dozens of armed militia also regularly attack civilians and security forces in eastern Congo’s borderlands with Uganda and Rwanda, which has significantly hampered the response to the disease.

The health ministry said in a statement that 38 suspected Ebola patients and 12 confirmed cases were in the center at the time of the attack. Four of the patients with confirmed cases fled and are being looked for, it said.

None of the patients who have been accounted for were injured, nor were any staff members, the ministry added. 

French medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), which runs the center together with the ministry, condemned the “deplorable attack” and said its efforts were focused on the immediate safety of patients and staff.

The attack in the city of Butembo was the second in Congo’s Ebola-hit east this week. On Sunday unidentified assailants set fire to a treatment center in the nearby town of Katwa, killing a nurse.  

The current Ebola outbreak, first declared last August, is the second deadliest of the hemorrhagic fever since it was discovered in Congo in 1976. It is believed to have killed at least 553 people so far and infected over 300 more.

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Yazidi Children in Syria Await Family Reunions

U.S.-backed Syrian forces battling Islamic State militants in their last hideout in eastern Syria said they have rescued dozens of Yazidi children held by the militant group for years. 

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-led alliance, said last week that they had successfully freed more than a dozen Yazidi children from IS as they evacuated civilians from the Syrian town of Baghuz. 

“Among many children saved from [IS] territory today, a group of Yazidi children also arrived to safe areas,” SDF spokesman Mustafa Bali said in a tweet. 

Yazidis, a Kurdish-speaking religious minority, are viewed as infidels by IS extremists.

In August 2014, IS militants made a massive attack on Sinjar, once home to the largest Yazidi community in the world. At least 5,000 Yazidis, mostly men and boys, were killed during the attack on the Iraqi city. 

Sex slaves, soldiers

IS then kidnapped thousands of Yazidi children and women, who were subsequently used as sex slaves and child soldiers. 

The 12 children recently freed by IS in Baghuz are now in a special residence near Hasaka, a Kurdish-held area in northeast Syria. 

“I was held for more than four years,” said Mazin Salim, 14, a former captive.

“When they first took me from my village [near Sinjar], they kept me in Mosul for several weeks,” he told VOA in a phone interview this week. 

Salim added that “along with many other Yazidi children, I was then taken to a location in Syria. I believe it was Aleppo. After staying there for a few months, they transferred us to Raqqa.”

Raqqa, the de facto capital of IS, was liberated by the SDF with support from the U.S.-led coalition in October 2017. 

“When fighting intensified in Raqqa, they moved us to an area near Baghuz,” Salim said. 

The Yazidi teenager said that while he was in custody, IS indoctrinated him with its extremist ideology. 

“In the beginning, they would beat me every day because I didn’t know Arabic and didn’t know anything about Islam,” Salim explained. “But slowly, they taught me how to read verses from the Quran.”

‘Cubs of the Caliphate’

During its brutal reign in Syria and Iraq, IS recruited child soldiers to be part of what it called “Cubs of the Caliphate,” a unit made up of brainwashed and abused children who would carry out suicide attacks, execute civilians and perform other cruel acts. 

“I checked up on all of these children,” said Shahin Hossein, a Kurdish doctor who has been providing medical care to the Yazidi children since their arrival. “All of them have varying degrees of psychological problems.”

Hossein said some of the children have been suffering from physical illnesses for a long time without receiving any treatment. 

Since the battle to capture Baghuz began this month, it has been easier for SDF fighters to find Yazidi children and women. 

“Before this final battle in Baghuz, we had contacts in Daesh territory who would provide us with information about Yazidi captives,” SDF spokesman Bali told VOA, using an Arabic word for IS. “So, we would carry out special operations to rescue them. But since all civilians are leaving Baghuz, it is easier to identify Yazidis as they come out of the town.” 

Once they are identified, Yazidi children and women are taken to a different location, separate from camps hosting other civilians fleeing IS.  

“Our job is to receive them, give them medical treatment and then facilitate their return to Sinjar,” said Mahmoud Resho, a coordinator at the Yazidi House Council, a local organization that supports Yazidi refugees and captives. 

“So far, we have a total of 25 children and a woman who are waiting to go to their families in Sinjar,” Resho told VOA. 

A child who refused to be named for security reasons said that he was able to communicate with his family in Sinjar through the Yazidi House Council and that “he can’t wait to see them again.” 

Resho said the Iraqi government has recently closed its border with Syria. “That’s why these people have been waiting for a while,” he added. 

Uncertainty about families

Another problem facing Yazidi children rescued from IS in Syria is that many don’t know the whereabouts or statuses of their families, Resho said.

“These kids have been kidnapped for almost five years. Some of their families are either killed or have migrated to Europe,” he said.   

Salim said he doesn’t know what awaits him in Sinjar. 

“I miss my family so much, but I don’t know whether they’re alive or dead,” he said.

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Reporter’s Notebook: Chaos and Cacophony as IS ‘Caliphate’ Falls

“Where are you all from?” my colleague asks a young boy named Chamil in Arabic. 

Minutes ago, he and several other boys arrived at this makeshift transit camp after escaping the battle for the Islamic State group’s last stronghold in Syria. Chamil looks about 11 years old and is surrounded by seven other boys, all a bit younger than him. “Indonesia,” he replies quietly.

He is among more than 1,000 people that came here this day on cargo trucks from a war about 30 kilometers away. Internationally backed Syrian forces are fighting IS for its last patch of land, which is not much more than a refugee camp along the Euphrates River near the village of Baghuz.

In the past week alone, more than 6,500 people have been trucked out, far more than anyone expected.

But it is the militant group’s last stand, and the battle has dragged out for weeks. Here in the transit camp, we meet ardent IS supporters, confused foreign children and women unsure of where they stand.

Chamil answers a few questions in barely audible Arabic before sitting down and turning to his brother. In the distance behind him, a long row of men guarded by soldiers line up with their hands in the air. But Chamil’s father is not among them. He is still inside the fight in Baghuz. His mother died before they moved to Syria four years ago.

“My dad is here,” Chamil whispers, meaning he believes his father is still alive.

Strange last days

Throughout IS conflicts in the past two-and-a-half years, buses, trucks, military vehicles and packed cars have fled war zones, carrying out civilians. But commonly, in the final days of critical battles, it’s hard to say who is who. Everyone is believed to be somehow related to IS, but that doesn’t mean everyone is involved.

At the transit camp here in Syria, soldiers order the men in line to kneel and then begin searching for weapons. We are told several men admit to being Islamic State fighters and vow their mission will continue. Others deny being involved.

A few women, draped head to toe in black veils, which are quickly growing brown from a gathering dust storm, also declare that the Islamic State will live on, despite their recent defeats.

“It is God’s will,” says Umm Anas. Her friend nearby tilts her head away from journalists’ cameras and makes sure her eyes remain covered in black fabric, despite the wind.

“OK,” I say, “But do you believe in what they say, that people who are not Sunni Muslims should be killed?”

“Yes, this is religion,” she responds calmly.

My colleague and I are taken aback. Until now, most people we’ve met fleeing IS territory in Syria or Iraq are deeply relieved to be away from the bombing, usually having survived a siege. We have seen countless women coming out of IS areas, ripping off their veils and cursing the group. Even “true believers,” with hopes of melting back into civilian society, are known to decry the militants.

But pro-IS declarations among people fleeing Baghuz have become common in recent weeks.

“Islamic State is not finished,” Umm Anas says to another journalist. “There will be victory.” Several soldiers move closer, appearing curious but not bothered. They know she will go to a camp, not to a jail.

‘I am afraid’

Behind a collection of about 20 white tents, empty with the wind yanking their flaps off the ground, another woman sits on the ground next to two suitcases and a cardboard box. 

Three sleeping children surround her, hiding their heads from the sand. Another child, Ibrahim, 4, has his leg bandaged in dirty gauze and appears to be trying to make some kind of sandcastle.

His leg was injured by a bomb; shrapnel from the blast also immobilized the woman’s arm and killed her fifth child.

She says that after they were transported out of Baghuz last night, her husband was taken away with the other men for investigation. “He was a janitor in a mosque,” she explains. “He was poor and crippled. He had to swear allegiance [to IS] to get the job.”

The wind briefly flips open the black fabric covering her eyes. She looks young and sad. Her forefinger pokes through a tear in her black glove, and holes in her long black covering reveal a frayed rose-colored sweater underneath. She tells us her name but then asks us not to publish it. I ask why she is afraid to use her name.

“I don’t know who I’m supposed to be afraid of, but I am afraid,” she says.

We ask her if IS told her these forces would be cruel to her, and that torture and rape were widespread. Militants have long told civilians under their rule this falsehood to frighten people out of trying to run away.

“Not that,” she says, slightly misunderstanding the question. “But when the trucks came to get us, the soldiers shouted at us, and ordered us to hurry and leave behind everything but our clothing. My husband told me to bring batteries, but the soldiers said I couldn’t.”

Refugee or enemy?

A moment later an investigative officer walks over to our secluded spot behind the tents, towering above the woman and her huddled children. “Where are you from?” he barks.

“Aleppo,” she says meekly.

“Why are you still here?” he asks loudly.

“They left the wounded women here,” she says, trailing off. She doesn’t know why she is still sitting in the sandstorm waiting to be told where to go. The officer is satisfied and strides off. The woman folds a bit on herself and trembles, weeping just loud enough to hear.

She says she realizes the soldier was gruff, but not cruel. Still, she is terrified. Here outside of IS territory in Syria, she doesn’t know how she will be received. Is she a refugee or an enemy?

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Hundreds Flee Syria Jihadist Enclave Before Final Assault

Hundreds of people boarded trucks leaving the last scrap of the Islamic State group’s “caliphate” in eastern Syria on Wednesday as U.S.-backed forces prepared to deliver the final blow to holdout jihadists.

Several thousand people — fighters and their relatives — are believed to be cornered in the last pocket of IS-held territory, barely half a square kilometer near the Iraqi border.

Nearly five years since IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ascended a pulpit in a Mosul mosque to urge Muslims to join the newly proclaimed “caliphate,” the proto-state is only days away from dying in a tiny village that until recently few even in Syria had known existed.

Thousands of its last denizens, many of them women and children, have been pouring out of the riverside hamlet of Baghuz in recent days, posing a huge humanitarian challenge for the Kurdish fighters leading the operation.

On Wednesday alone, 15 trucks rumbled out of Baghuz, the fifth such evacuation in a week.

After being screened, the evacuees are sent on to the Al-Hol camp farther north.

The International Rescue Committee said that “the large numbers of arrivals mean there are estimated to be around 2,000 people currently sleeping rough at the arrivals area despite the poor weather conditions.”

Survivors of the months-old siege who spill out of the double-trailer trucks tell harrowing tales of starvation. Many need immediate medical attention.

Lines of black-veiled women holding scruffy children and carrying their scant belongings in bags can be seen walking down from a hill near Baghuz and across the arid plain.

Save the Children said many of the surviving children have witnessed horrifying events in recent months and are “showing signs of psychological distress.”

Human shields

An AFP reporter saw that the latest trucks to leave were not as full as in previous days.

It was not clear how far this was because fewer people are trapped in the IS-held pocket or because those who remain either cannot leave or want to stay and fight.

The men who leave are carefully screened by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who have spearheaded the battle against IS in Syria, with support from a U.S.-led coalition.

Suleiman Mohammad Terbu, a Syrian who walked on crutches because of an injury, said he had been a teacher at an IS-run school.

The jihadist group ran schools throughout the territories it controlled, indoctrinating boys into its ideology, but Terbu insisted he only taught the Quran, math and sport.

“My family were smuggled out before me, but I couldn’t do that because [IS fighters] don’t let anyone leave,” he said.

The remaining diehard jihadists — many of them foreigners — have also been using civilians as human shields.

Footage captured by the BBC from positions held by Iraqi paramilitary forces across the Euphrates River shows an improvised camp where an apparent jihadist can be seen running among makeshift tents.

As warplanes fly overhead, a woman is seen collecting water from the river in a plastic jerrycan while men move stealthily among the jumble of minivans and civilian shelters that make any direct airstrike impossible.

The SDF launched its final offensive against IS-held territory in September 2018.

The operation has been deadly and slow, and one top French officer even published stinging criticism of the coalition’s reluctance to fully involve its ground forces.

U.S. President Donald Trump late last year announced a complete troop pullout from Syria, leaving the SDF exposed to Turkish military threats.

A security vacuum could also see a quick resurgence of IS, which has lost all its strongholds in Syria and Iraq but remains a potent guerrilla force.

Even the U.S. military warned that the jihadists could potentially re-establish territorial control in some areas within six months if there were no “sustained counterterrorism pressure.”

Almost eight years into a multi-faceted conflict that has killed more than 360,000 people, Syria’s humanitarian emergency shows no sign of relenting.

Traumatized children

With aid agencies struggling to provide basic relief to famished civilians evacuated from the remote Baghuz area, Save the Children highlighted the trauma the youngest among them had suffered.

The children who fled IS-held areas were “likely to have witnessed acts of brutality and lived under intense bombardment and deprivation,” it said.

In a statement, it quoted an 11-year-old saying: “I always tried not to look when there were beheadings. I would hide behind my mum.”

It called for much greater efforts to help the children.

“That includes funding and access for case management and protective services, and for foreign children repatriation to their countries of origin,” said Save the Children’s Syria response director, Sonia Khush.

The local Kurdish administration is struggling to cope with the humanitarian burden and has repeatedly urged the world to step up its aid effort.

Detained jihadists’ countries of origin are reluctant to repatriate them, fearing a public backlash and security threats.

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Venezuela Minister: Maduro,Trump Should Meet to ‘Find Common Ground’

Venezuela’s foreign minister said on Wednesday the United States was trying to overthrow the government of Nicolas Maduro and suggested talks with U.S. President Donald Trump — an idea the Trump administration immediately rejected.

Jorge Arreaza, addressing the U.N. Human Rights Council, suggested that Maduro and Trump meet to “try to find common ground and explain their differences.” He also said his country had lost $30 billion in assets “confiscated” since November 2017 under sanctions.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence ruled out prospects of talks. “The only thing to discuss with Maduro at this point is the time and date for his departure,” Pence said on Twitter.

“For democracy to return and for Venezuela to rebuild — Maduro must go,” Pence said.

Dozens of diplomats, mainly from Latin American countries, walked out as Arreaza began to speak, while some European ambassadors boycotted the speech.

The United States and dozens of other nations have recognised opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s legitimate president, but Maduro still controls the military, state institutions and oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA , which provides 90 percent of the country’s export revenue.

Maduro also “stands ready for dialogue” with the Venezuelan opposition, Arreaza said.

“There is an attempt by external powers to overthrow an elected government, this goes against all rules of international law,” Arreaza said.

‘Ilegal pillage’

The United States targeted Venezuela’s government with new sanctions on Monday and called on allies to freeze the assets of state-owned PDVSA after deadly violence blocked humanitarian aid from reaching the country over the weekend.

The “blockade” against Caracas amounts to “theft of the assets and gold” of Venezuela, Arreaza said.

Some $30 billion in state assets had been confiscated since November 2017, he said, adding: “This is the illegal pillage of the resources of our state oil company in the United States.”

U.S. refiner Citgo Petroleum Corp is cutting ties with its parent PDVSA to comply with U.S. sanctions imposed on the OPEC country, two people close to the decision told Reuters on Tuesday.

The Bank of England has blocked $1.5 billion and Belgium $1.4 billion, Arreaza said. The Bank of England has previously declined to comment on questions about Venezuela’s gold, citing client privacy considerations.

“The humanitarian crisis is being used as a pretext for foreign intervention in my country,” Arreaza said.

In weekend clashes at the Colombian border, Venezuelan security forces acted with “proportionality and caution,” as humanitarian aid was burned, he said.

Earlier, an aide to President Ivan Duque of neighboring Colombia called for action to end Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis and bring about a political transition leading to free elections.

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UK’s Labor Party to Back Proposal for Public Brexit Vote 

Britain’s opposition Labor Party will put forward or support an amendment in favor of a public vote to prevent a damaging Brexit, the party’s Brexit spokesman said on Wednesday. 

British lawmakers voted 323-240 against a Labor proposal for a permanent customs union with the EU.

“Disappointed the government has rejected Labor’s alternative Brexit deal,” Labor Member of Parliament Keir Starmer said. “That’s why Labor will put forward or support an amendment in favor of a public vote to prevent a damaging Tory Brexit.”

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Ukrainian Court Strikes Down Anti-Corruption Law

Ukraine’s Constitutional Court has struck down a law against officials enriching themselves, a move that raises concern about the country’s fight against endemic corruption and about whether it can get further aid from the International Monetary Fund.

The Ukrainian branch of Transparency International said Wednesday that the decision meant that at least 50 corruption cases would have to be closed.

The court said the law was unconstitutional because it violated the presumption-of-innocence principle by obliging suspected officials to prove their assets were legitimate, rather than obliging prosecutors to show assets were obtained by corrupt practices.

The law was introduced in 2015 to meet a demand of the IMF in order to receive badly needed loans. The IMF in 2015 authorized $17.5 billion in aid to Ukraine to support reforms.

President Petro Poroshenko said he would instruct his government to formulate a new draft law on punishing officials for corruption and that it would be submitted to parliament as an urgent priority.

Official corruption is a major issue in Ukraine as it approaches a presidential election on March 31. On Tuesday, one of Poroshenko’s top challengers in the race, Yulia Tymoshenko, called for him to be impeached following a media investigation into alleged embezzlement schemes in the country’s military industries.

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the prosecutor general’s office on Wednesday to protest corruption, crying “Death to the marauders.”

 

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Taliban Says Afghan Peace Talks with US Continue in Qatar

The Taliban says negotiations with the United States continued Wednesday in Qatar for a second day amid hopes of making further progress toward ending the conflict in Afghanistan.

A spokesman for the insurgent group noted that “technical groups” focused for a day-and-a-half until Wednesday afternoon on the withdrawal of U.S.-led international forces when they took up the issue of the Taliban guarantees to prevent Afghan soil from being used for terrorist attacks against America and its allies.

“Talks about preventing Afghanistan from harming others are currently under discussion,” said Zabihullah Mujahid.

The two sides announced after their last meeting in Doha a month ago they had agreed “in principle” on a “framework” of discussions on the two key issues.

U.S. representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, is leading the American team, while Sher Muhammad Abbas Stanekzai is heading an “authoritative” team of Taliban negotiators.

‘Paving the ground’

The ongoing meeting is expected to last for several days and is the fifth round of talks since late last summer when Washington directly engaged the Taliban in a dialogue that U.S. officials say is primarily aimed at paving the ground for a sustainable intra-Afghan peace process.

Khalilzad repeatedly clarified, however, that any final U.S. troop withdrawal plan would be linked to a Taliban cease-fire and the rebel group’s direct talks with the government in Kabul. The insurgent group refuses to engage in talks with the Afghan government, though, insisting any discussions on internal Afghan matters must be decided by Afghans themselves.

At an informal session Monday hosted by Qatari officials prior to the formal negotiations, Taliban delegates were introduced to American interlocutors by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the newly appointed Taliban’s deputy chief of political affairs and head of its Qatar-based office.

Baradar arrived in Doha a day before the two sides reconvened for the meeting, and his presence is seen as key to sustaining a productive dialogue with the U.S., according to insurgent officials.

The Taliban leader had been in detention in Pakistan since 2010 when a joint operation by local and U.S. intelligence operatives captured him in the city of Karachi while he was traveling through the neighboring country. He was released last October at the request of Khalilzad, meeting a key insurgent demand.

Baradar is known as a co-founder of the Taliban, and he is considered a highly respected figure in the rebel group. He is credited for organizing the insurgent campaign after the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan 17 years ago ousted the Taliban from power. Baradar continues to maintain influence over Taliban battlefield commanders, particularly in southern Afghan provinces, observers say.

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Taliban Says Afghan Peace Talks with US Continue in Qatar

The Taliban says negotiations with the United States continued Wednesday in Qatar for a second day amid hopes of making further progress toward ending the conflict in Afghanistan.

A spokesman for the insurgent group noted that “technical groups” focused for a day-and-a-half until Wednesday afternoon on the withdrawal of U.S.-led international forces when they took up the issue of the Taliban guarantees to prevent Afghan soil from being used for terrorist attacks against America and its allies.

“Talks about preventing Afghanistan from harming others are currently under discussion,” said Zabihullah Mujahid.

The two sides announced after their last meeting in Doha a month ago they had agreed “in principle” on a “framework” of discussions on the two key issues.

U.S. representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, is leading the American team, while Sher Muhammad Abbas Stanekzai is heading an “authoritative” team of Taliban negotiators.

‘Paving the ground’

The ongoing meeting is expected to last for several days and is the fifth round of talks since late last summer when Washington directly engaged the Taliban in a dialogue that U.S. officials say is primarily aimed at paving the ground for a sustainable intra-Afghan peace process.

Khalilzad repeatedly clarified, however, that any final U.S. troop withdrawal plan would be linked to a Taliban cease-fire and the rebel group’s direct talks with the government in Kabul. The insurgent group refuses to engage in talks with the Afghan government, though, insisting any discussions on internal Afghan matters must be decided by Afghans themselves.

At an informal session Monday hosted by Qatari officials prior to the formal negotiations, Taliban delegates were introduced to American interlocutors by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the newly appointed Taliban’s deputy chief of political affairs and head of its Qatar-based office.

Baradar arrived in Doha a day before the two sides reconvened for the meeting, and his presence is seen as key to sustaining a productive dialogue with the U.S., according to insurgent officials.

The Taliban leader had been in detention in Pakistan since 2010 when a joint operation by local and U.S. intelligence operatives captured him in the city of Karachi while he was traveling through the neighboring country. He was released last October at the request of Khalilzad, meeting a key insurgent demand.

Baradar is known as a co-founder of the Taliban, and he is considered a highly respected figure in the rebel group. He is credited for organizing the insurgent campaign after the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan 17 years ago ousted the Taliban from power. Baradar continues to maintain influence over Taliban battlefield commanders, particularly in southern Afghan provinces, observers say.

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US’s Kushner Makes Little Headway on Mideast Peace Plan in Gulf

White House adviser Jared Kushner made a whirlwind visit this week to rally U.S.-allied Gulf Arab allies to support his still- unannounced Middle East peace plan, the leaked contours of which suggest little has been done to address Arab demands.

Kushner’s approach to ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict does not appear to have progressed since his last regional tour in June, focusing largely on economic initiatives at the expense of a land-for-peace deal long central to the official Arab position, two sources in the Gulf told Reuters on Wednesday.

Palestinians have refused to discuss any peace blueprint with the United States in the wake of President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 2017, while some Arab leaders have publicly rejected any deal that fails to address Jerusalem’s status or refugees’ right of return.

Kushner, who is President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, met with leaders in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Oman this week. He arrived in Turkey on Wednesday.

Three sources said Kushner had gone to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday although there was no official statement on the visit or his meetings with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Saudi media office did not respond to a request for comment.

One of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the plan presented this week did not appear to take into consideration previously stated Arab demands on the status of Jerusalem, the right of Palestinian refugees to return and Israeli settlements in occupied territory.

Under the Arab Peace Initiative drawn up by Saudi Arabia in 2002, Arab nations offered Israel normal ties in return for a statehood deal with the Palestinians and full Israeli withdrawal from territory captured in 1967.

The source said Kushner, a real estate developer with little experience of international diplomacy or political negotiation, wanted to make a deal first and then agree on details.

The source added that the plan envisages a “substantial” financial contribution from Gulf states, but did not provide details.

ARAB CONCERNS

King Salman has dismissed Arab concerns that Saudi Arabia might back a U.S. deal that aligns with Israel on key issues, after the crown prince, who is close to Kushner, reportedly pressed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to support the administration’s efforts.

Kushner’s meeting with Prince Mohammed on Tuesday was the first since the murder of prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last October sparked an outcry and tarnished the prince’s image.

Jordan, a U.S. ally where a majority of the population are descendants of Palestinians who fled during or after the creation of Israel in 1948, insists that no peace can be achieved without dealing with Jerusalem, where it serves as custodian of Muslim holy sites.

“The Americans are still in the process of presenting various ideas and scenarios but don’t appear to have arrived at final parameters of a plan,” said a second source in the Gulf region.

“They know that there are final-status issues that are non-starters for regional allies and the Palestinians alike,” the source added, referring to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan.

Kushner was given responsibility for Israel-Palestinian policy two years ago, but has still not provided concrete details of U.S. efforts, which Trump has dubbed “the deal of the century”.

Kushner said in an interview on Monday that Washington would present the peace plan only after Israel’s election on April 9, though previous targets have passed without any announcement.

He said it would build on past efforts — including the 1990s Oslo accords that provided a foundation for Palestinian statehood — and resolve borders and final-status issues. But he made no specific mention of a Palestinian state.

Israel has long rejected any return to what it has described as indefensible boundaries that existed before it captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Middle East war.

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US’s Kushner Makes Little Headway on Mideast Peace Plan in Gulf

White House adviser Jared Kushner made a whirlwind visit this week to rally U.S.-allied Gulf Arab allies to support his still- unannounced Middle East peace plan, the leaked contours of which suggest little has been done to address Arab demands.

Kushner’s approach to ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict does not appear to have progressed since his last regional tour in June, focusing largely on economic initiatives at the expense of a land-for-peace deal long central to the official Arab position, two sources in the Gulf told Reuters on Wednesday.

Palestinians have refused to discuss any peace blueprint with the United States in the wake of President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 2017, while some Arab leaders have publicly rejected any deal that fails to address Jerusalem’s status or refugees’ right of return.

Kushner, who is President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, met with leaders in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Oman this week. He arrived in Turkey on Wednesday.

Three sources said Kushner had gone to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday although there was no official statement on the visit or his meetings with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Saudi media office did not respond to a request for comment.

One of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the plan presented this week did not appear to take into consideration previously stated Arab demands on the status of Jerusalem, the right of Palestinian refugees to return and Israeli settlements in occupied territory.

Under the Arab Peace Initiative drawn up by Saudi Arabia in 2002, Arab nations offered Israel normal ties in return for a statehood deal with the Palestinians and full Israeli withdrawal from territory captured in 1967.

The source said Kushner, a real estate developer with little experience of international diplomacy or political negotiation, wanted to make a deal first and then agree on details.

The source added that the plan envisages a “substantial” financial contribution from Gulf states, but did not provide details.

ARAB CONCERNS

King Salman has dismissed Arab concerns that Saudi Arabia might back a U.S. deal that aligns with Israel on key issues, after the crown prince, who is close to Kushner, reportedly pressed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to support the administration’s efforts.

Kushner’s meeting with Prince Mohammed on Tuesday was the first since the murder of prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last October sparked an outcry and tarnished the prince’s image.

Jordan, a U.S. ally where a majority of the population are descendants of Palestinians who fled during or after the creation of Israel in 1948, insists that no peace can be achieved without dealing with Jerusalem, where it serves as custodian of Muslim holy sites.

“The Americans are still in the process of presenting various ideas and scenarios but don’t appear to have arrived at final parameters of a plan,” said a second source in the Gulf region.

“They know that there are final-status issues that are non-starters for regional allies and the Palestinians alike,” the source added, referring to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan.

Kushner was given responsibility for Israel-Palestinian policy two years ago, but has still not provided concrete details of U.S. efforts, which Trump has dubbed “the deal of the century”.

Kushner said in an interview on Monday that Washington would present the peace plan only after Israel’s election on April 9, though previous targets have passed without any announcement.

He said it would build on past efforts — including the 1990s Oslo accords that provided a foundation for Palestinian statehood — and resolve borders and final-status issues. But he made no specific mention of a Palestinian state.

Israel has long rejected any return to what it has described as indefensible boundaries that existed before it captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Middle East war.

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Israeli PM Vows to Bar Iran From Securing Presence in Syria

Israel’s prime minister vowed to prevent Iran from securing a lasting presence in Syria as he visited Moscow on Wednesday for talks focusing on regional security.

For Benjamin Netanyahu, it’s the first trip to Moscow since September’s downing of a Russian warplane by Syrian forces that were responding to an Israeli airstrike. The incident left 15 Russian crew dead and threatened to derail close security ties between Russia and Israel.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the start of Wednesday’s talks that “it’s very important to discuss the situation in the region and security issues.”

He added that the high-level consultations are essential in view of the evolving situation.

Netanyahu began the talks by reaffirming Israel’s strong determination to block attempts by Iran to establish a foothold in Syria.

“The greatest threat to stability and security in the region comes from Iran and its satellites,” he said. “We are determined to continue with our aggressive action against the efforts of Iran, which calls for our destruction, and against its attempts to entrench militarily in Syria.”

Moscow has played a delicate diplomatic game of maintaining friendly ties with both Israel and Iran. Last summer, Moscow struck a deal with Tehran to keep its fighters away from the Golan Heights to accommodate Israeli concerns about the Iranian presence in Syria.

Netanyahu noted that he and Putin had 11 meetings since September 2015 and hailed “the direct, open and true way in which we maintain the relationship between Russia and Israel.”

“The direct connection between us has been an essential element that has prevented risks and conflicts between our militaries, and that has contributed to regional security and stability,” the Israeli leader said.

Netanyahu congratulated Putin on the military holiday Russia marked last weekend and invited him to visit Israel to attend the opening of a monument to the Nazi siege of Leningrad during World War II.

“We will never forget the role of Russia and the Red Army in the victory over the Nazis,” he said.

Putin, a native of the city, accepted the offer.

Netanyahu praised “excellent bilateral relations,” noting “more than one million Russian speakers who have made a great contribution to Israel, have turned into a part of us, and have made Russian culture a part of Israeli culture.”

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