Syria opposition to meet UK Foreign Secretary for London talksNovember 16, 2012 - 11:06 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - UK Foreign Secretary William Hague is to meet Syrian opposition leaders fighting to oust president Bashar Assad's regime, Belfast Telegraph said. The Foreign Secretary will urge the group to develop a clear plan for political transition in Syria when he opens the London talks, which are being hosted by the UK's special envoy, Jon Wilks. He will also press for the need to respect human rights and "win over the middle ground of opinion" in the nation amid the spiralling violence meted out by the regime. Mr Hague said work with the opposition coalition, which was formed at the weekend in an effort to unite disparate factions in the fight against Assad, was a "high priority". The US and the UK have signalled support for the group but stopped short of the formal recognition of it as a government-in-waiting already accorded by France. It comes after Prime Minister David Cameron chaired National Security Council (NSC) discussions between ministers and officials on Thursday on military, humanitarian and diplomatic options for halting the violence and refugee crisis. He last week ordered all options, including arming rebel forces opposed to Assad, to be put back on the table amid frustration at international failure to curb the bloodshed. Among controversial strategies being considered by Mr Cameron is allowing Assad a safe passage out of Syria even if that means he evades international justice. Officials are also examining the terms of the EU embargo which prevents the UK directly supplying the rebels with arms for ways to justify such a move. 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. |