Saudi foreign minister discusses Syria's stability with US envoy
LONDON: Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Saudi minister of foreign affairs, received Tom Barrack, the US envoy to Syria, in Riyadh.
During the meeting on Thursday, officials discussed ways to support the Syrian Arab Republic in enhancing its security, stability, and economic recovery, reported the Saudi Press Agency.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Al Arabiya
White House wants major cut in US war crimes, accountability funding, sources say
The White House on Wednesday recommended terminating US funding for nearly two dozen programs that conduct war crimes and accountability work globally, including in Myanmar, Syria and on alleged Russian atrocities in Ukraine, according to two US sources familiar with the matter and internal government documents reviewed by Reuters. The recommendation from the Office of Management and Budget, which has not been previously reported, is not the final decision to end the programs since it gives the State Department the option to appeal. But it sets up a potential back-and-forth between the OMB and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his aides, who will reply to OMB with their suggestions on which programs deserve to continue. The programs also include work in Iraq, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Gambia. The State Department and OMB did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The expectation that Rubio would argue for many of the programs to be continued is slim, according to two US officials. However, the top US diplomat could make a case to keep crucial programs, such as aiding potential war crimes prosecutions in Ukraine, according to one source familiar with the matter. Several of the programs earmarked for termination operate war crimes accountability projects in Ukraine, three sources familiar with the matter said, including Global Rights Compliance, which is helping to collect evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity across Ukraine, such as sexual violence and torture. Another is the Legal Action Network, a legal aid group which supports local efforts to bring cases against Russian suspects of war crimes in Ukraine, the sources said. Requests seeking comment from the groups were not immediately answered. State Department bureaus that would like to preserve any war crimes and accountability programs should send their justifications by close of business day on July 11, said an internal State Department email seen by Reuters. Changing priorities The administration of President Donald Trump has frozen and then cut back billions of dollars of foreign aid since taking office on January 20 to ensure American-taxpayer money funds programs that are aligned with his 'America First' policies. The unprecedented cutbacks have effectively shut down its premier aid arm US Agency for International Development, jeopardized the delivery of life-saving food and medical aid and thrown global humanitarian relief operations into chaos. The OMB recommendation is yet another sign that the administration is increasingly de-prioritizing advocacy for human rights and rule of law globally, an objective that previous US administrations have pursued. While US foreign aid freezes had already started hampering an international effort to hold Russia responsible for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, Wednesday's recommendations raise the risk of US completely abandoning those efforts. Among the programs that are recommended for termination is a $18 million State Department grant for Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office that is implemented by Georgetown University's International Criminal Justice Initiative, two sources said. While the programs do not directly impact Ukraine's frontline efforts to fend off Russia's invasion, supporters say they represent the best chance of extensively documenting reported battlefield atrocities in Europe's biggest conflict since World War Two, now grinding toward a fourth year. Ukraine has opened more than 140,000 war crime cases since Moscow's February 2022 invasion, which has killed tens of thousands, ravaged vast swathes of the country and left behind mental and physical scars from occupation. Russia consistently denies war crimes have been committed by its forces in the conflict. Path to appeal Other programs include one that does accountability work on Myanmar army's atrocities against Rohingya minorities as well as on the persecution of Christians and other minorities by Syria's ousted former president Bashar al-Assad, two sources said. While the OMB recommendations could face State Department push-back, the criteria to appeal are set very strictly. In an internal State Department email, the administration cautioned that any effort to preserve programs that were recommended to be terminated should be thoroughly argued and directly aligned with Washington's priorities. 'Bureaus must clearly and succinctly identify direct alignment to administration priorities,' the email, reviewed by Reuters said.
Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Al Arabiya
Netanyahu says ‘victory' over Iran opens windows to peace
Victory over Iran presents new opportunities for peace agreements which Israel must not waste, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday. In a statement, he said: 'This victory presents an opportunity for a dramatic widening of peace agreements. We are working on this with enthusiasm. 'Alongside the freeing of hostages and defeat of Hamas, there is a window of opportunity that must not be missed. We cannot waste even a single day.'
Al Arabiya
2 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Khamenei avoided assassination by going underground, Israel says
Israel would have killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei were it possible during the countries' 12-day war, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday. 'I estimate that if Khamenei had been in our sights, we would have taken him out,' Katz said in the interview with Israel's Kan public television. 'But Khamenei understood this, went underground to very great depths, and broke off contacts with the commanders who replaced those commanders who were eliminated, so it wasn't realistic in the end,' he said. Israel killed several top Iranian commanders and nuclear scientists on June 13 at the start of the war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump had both suggested at various times during the air war that Khamenei's life could be in danger as regime change could be a result of the war that ended with a US-brokered ceasefire on Tuesday.
