Latest news with #Zbogar
Saudi Gazette
10-08-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
UN Security Council members condemn Israel's Gaza occupation plan over crimes against humanity
NEW YORK — Five members of the UN Security Council on Sunday condemned Israel's plan to occupy Gaza, warning it risks violating international humanitarian law and worsening an already dire humanitarian crisis. 'We condemn the government of Israel's decision to further expand its military operations in Gaza. This plan risks violating international humanitarian law,' Slovenia's UN ambassador Samuel Zbogar said in a joint statement on behalf of Slovenia, Britain, France, Denmark, and Greece. The countries urged Israel to 'urgently reverse this decision and not to implement it,' warning that expanding military operations would endanger civilian lives and the remaining hostages. Zbogar described the humanitarian situation as 'dangerously deteriorating,' saying: 'Children are dying from starvation. Hunger is so severe that desperate civilians are taking the risk of getting killed at aid distribution sites in order to feed their families.' Calling the crisis 'manmade,' the statement demanded Israel lift restrictions on aid delivery and scrap 'unreasonable visa and registration requirements' for international NGOs. The five nations also called for an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages, and renewed efforts toward a two-state has been under growing international criticism over its military campaign in Gaza, which has killed more than 61,000 people since October 2023 and left the enclave on the brink of November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its actions in the enclave. — Agencies
Rudaw Net
29-03-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Syrians must take lead in long road to democracy: Slovenian UN rep
Also in Interview Germany will not fund 'Islamists' in Syria: FM Druze, Kurds share 'harmonic' relationship, vision for Syria's future: Senior Druze cleric Germany must have 'clear demands' for Syria: State premier Germany welcomes immigrants, but deports criminals: State minister A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Syrian people - including women and minorities - must take the lead in their country's 'long process' towards democracy after 14 years of civil war and decades of dictatorship, Slovenia's representative to the United Nations Security Council said on Friday. 'We understand that the transitional authority is there to prepare the transition to constitution and restore the order in democracy, to establish a democracy and for the rehabilitation and restoration of Syria. It's going to be a long process,' Samuel Zbogar, Slovenia's representative to the UN, told Rudaw in New York, adding that the transition period must not last too long. He called on the Damascus authorities to assume responsibility for a 'Syrian-led, Syrian-guided, Syrian-owned' future where all Syrians, regardless of ethnicity or religion, 'will feel comfortable.' 'The Security Council is expecting that everybody in Syria, all minorities, ethnic groups, all parts of society, and women and civil societies, will get a role and a place when discussing the future of Syria,' Zbogar said, but added that it is not up to the council 'to micromanage the constitution of Syria.' Syria's civil war dramatically reignited late last year when a coalition of rebel groups led by the Islamist Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched a blistering offensive that culminated in the ousting of Bashar al-Assad as Damascus fell, ending decades of Baathist rule. After HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa was appointed interim president in late January, he vowed to uphold the rights of all ethnic and religious groups. He has, however, come under fire internationally and domestically for an interim constitution that cements authoritarian rule and for his administration's treatment of minority populations. In early March, Damascus faced widespread condemnation after a violent crackdown on Assad loyalists in the coastal Alawite-majority areas, where at least 1,500 people were killed - mostly civilians - according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor. According to Zbogar, safeguarding minority rights 'can strengthen the relations with neighboring countries and it can strengthen the self-confidence of the nation if minorities are feeling comfortable in a common home.'
