Tag

Lebanon’s prime minister tells the United Nations that the Syrian refugee crisis is costing his tiny country one-third of its gross domestic product and strangling development.

A coalition led by the United States conducted 20 air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and three against the militant group in Syria on Saturday, according to a statement released by the Combined Joint Task Force on Sunday.

One strike in Syria hit an Islamic State crude oil collection point near Dayr Az Zawr, it said.

The leaders will meet in New York City on Monday since both will be in town for the annual United Nations General Assembly meeting, reports Reuters.

It comes amid increased Russian support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has faced several setbacks in recent weeks, including the loss of the government airbase in Idlib to Syria’s al-Qaeda affiliate, the Nusra Front.

According to the statement issued from the office of French President Franois Hollande in Paris, the aerial strikes were ordered to counter the IS.

In a telephone conversation at Russia‘s behest, the two men “exchanged views on regional security matters, first and foremost, in the context of finding ways to settle the conflict in Syria”, a statement posted to the Kremlin’s website said.

“It is true that we do need equipment, training, intelligence, air force coverage”.

The office of President François Hollande said on Sunday the strikes were aimed at targets identified during surveillance missions conducted since 8 September. “We will strike whenever our national security is at stake”.

“Assad will be part of that, but also others like the United States and Russian Federation as well as important regional partners like Iran or Saudi Arabia”.

The Associated Press reports: “Xi and others spoke as the United Nations gathering began to shift focus from development to the high-powered General Assembly meeting that begins Monday with speeches by Xi, [President Obama], Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian...

Russia’s sudden military build-up this month in support of Assad and a refugee crisis that has spilled over from the region into Europe have lent new urgency to attempts to resolve the Syria conflict.

Ahtisaari said he presented the Russian proposal to authorities from the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, but was ignored.

Meanwhile, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the United States will contribute almost US$419 million (AU$ 592 million) in humanitarian aid to help Syrian refugees. Part of the funding will go towardmedical care, including vaccination against measles and polio, safe drinking...

The announcement comes one day after Secretary of State John Kerry said the USA would raise its annual refugee cap from 70,000 to 85,000 to accommodate more Syrians fleeing their war-torn country.