France says Aleppo assault threatens peace talksJune 12, 2013 - 13:51 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Syrian opposition will likely boycott proposed peace talks with President Bashar al-Assad's government unless its forces halt their advance towards the rebel stronghold of Aleppo, France said on Wednesday, June 12, according to Reuters. Forces loyal to Assad are massing around Aleppo in preparation for an offensive to retake the city and build on battlefield gains that have swung the momentum of Syria's war to Assad and his Hezbollah allies. "We must stop this advance," Fabius said on France 2 television. "We must stop this because if the balance in the situation on the ground is not restored, then there will not be a conference in Geneva. The opposition won't agree to come." The United States and Russia are trying to bring Assad's government and his opponents together in Geneva in July, but are still at odds over several issues before the talks can begin. France is among Western countries including the United States and Britain that say Assad has lost his legitimacy as Syria's ruler, although they have shied away from arming the rebels for fear of bringing Islamist Jihadists to power. "For the soldiers of the resistance, they must have weapons because Assad has planes, powerful weapons and has used chemical weapons. We shouldn't arm them for the sake of arming them, but there has to be a rebalancing," Fabius said. He said Paris would respect an EU agreement not to arm rebels before August 1, but said that he had spoken to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday on the issue. "Nobody is talking about sending troops on the ground, but the resistance fighters must be able to defend themselves," he said. 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 | Welcome to CaseKey 2024. Byblos Bank Armenia firmly stands by future innovators Strategic business cases, invaluable experience, innovative approaches and more than 25 events are in store for the participants of CaseKey 2024. Macron honors Charles Aznavour on 100th anniversary French President Emmanuel Macron has paid tribute to the memory of French-Armenian crooner Charles Aznavour. Blinken says U.S. reviewing a number of aid requests from Armenia He said the U.S. is reviewing the requests to determine what more it can do to increase its assistance to Armenia. At least 2 CSTO members participated in preparing 44-day war against Armenia – PM Nikol Pashinyan has declared that at least two CSTO member countries participated in preparations for the 44-day war against Armenia. |