Syrian rebels offer bounty for Assad, dead or aliveSeptember 18, 2012 - 12:25 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) has offered a $25 million reward for the capture, dead or alive, of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, RIA Novosti reported citing Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency. FSA commander Ahmed Hijazi said the money will be paid out by supporters as well as by "Syrian businessmen working both at home and abroad." The United States said last month it had set aside $25 million for non-lethal aid to Syrian rebels. The bounty offer comes as Western powers are looking to put more pressure on President Assad to go. Lakhdar Brahimi, the UN and Arab League envoy to Syria, has warned that crisis presented a "threat to the Syrian people, the region and the world." Activists say some 23,000 people have died since the uprising against President Assad began in March last year. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Concept to complete Yerevan Cascade discussed at city hall A conceptual proposal to complete the Cascade complex in downtown Yerevan has been presented by Jean-Michel Wilmotte. Pashinyan visits flood-hit region Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Saturday, June 8 visited the disaster area in the Lori province. €3.5 mln EU grant to support justice reforms in Armenia The European Union has paid €3.5 mln grant to Armenia within a €11mln program on Support to Justice Reforms. Yerevan reacts to Baku’s proposal to see Minsk Group abolition Alen Simonyan has declared that Armenia is taking steps aimed at concluding a peace treaty with Azerbaijan. |