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Syria’s opposition factions, struggling under Western and Arab pressure to close their ranks and elect a viable leadership, have resumed talks in Turkey for a final day aimed at creating a coherent front crucial to a proposed international peace conference.

The failure of the Syrian National Coalition to alter its Islamist-dominated membership as demanded by its international backers and replace a leadership undermined by power struggles, appears to be playing into the hands of President Bashar al-Assad.

By Saturday night, the factions locked themeselves up in a room, trying to find a way to work together.

And while they continued their discussions behind closed doors, fighting continues inside Syria in Qusayr, where heavy bombardment has been going on for days.

Interim opposition leader George Sabra spoke at a press conference in Istanbul on Saturday, when he took a harsh tone with Hezbollah as well as Iran.

“Thousands of invaders from the Iranian forces and the terrorists of Hezbollah are still coming to Syria and still killing our people,” said Sabra.

“The killers are blockading, shelling and trying to storm several cities…they are, with the participation of the falling Syrian regime, killing Syrians in so many locations, in all governorates,” said Sabra.

Meanwhile, in a speech on Saturday, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Saturday vowed “victory” in Syria, where militants of his powerful Lebanese Shia  movement are fighting alongside regular troops against rebels trying to topple
the regime.

“I say to all the honourable people, to the mujahedeen, to the heroes: I have always promised you a victory and now I pledge to you a new one” in Syria,  he said at a ceremony marking the 13th anniversary of Israel’s military withdrawal from Lebanon.

Government forces are attacking a key town as Assad’s ally Russia says he will send representatives to a proposed international conference in the Swiss city of Geneva, coalition insiders said.

Stagnate meeting

After two days of meetings in Istanbul, senior coalition players were in discussions late into the night on Friday after Michel Kilo, a veteran liberal opposition figure, rejected a deal by Mustafa al-Sabbagh, a Syrian businessman who is the coalition’s secretary-general, to admit some members of Kilo’s bloc to the coalition, the sources said.

Kilo has said that his group wants significant representation in the opposition coalition before it will join.

Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelberra, reporting from Istanbul, said: “Kilo is ready to join but his list includes 25 people in a take or leave offer.

“The problem with the opposition is that if they add the group of secularists into the general committee, they will have a veto power, and right now the current opposition thinks the secularists have been very soft on Assad, and they might undermine the hardliners and the Islamists.”

He went on to say “this is why you see a lot of political bickering here in Istanbul” because the opposition “has always been a loose umbrella of disparate factions”.

Much to the frustration of its backers, the coalition has struggled to agree on a leader since the resignation in March of Moaz al-Khatib, a former Damascus religious leader, who had floated two initiatives for Assad to leave power peacefully.

Khatib’s latest proposal, a 16-point plan that sees Assad handing power to his deputy or prime minister and then going abroad with 500 members of his entourage, won little support in Istanbul, highlighting the obstacles to wider negotiations.

“He has the right to submit papers to the meeting like any other member, but his paper is heading directly to the dustbin of history. It is a repeat of his previous initiative, which went nowhere,” a senior coalition official said.

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Article source: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/05/2013525101221796276.html

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – The African Union headquarters complex in the capital Addis Ababa stands in stark contrast to its immediate surroundings.

The wide planetarium-like structure sitting comfortably attached to a $100m lightly glazed tower dominates the city’s skyline. Inside, the combined leadership of 54 nations gather in state of the art conference rooms to contemplate Africa’s future.

Outside the complex, taxi cabs jostle for parking space and pedestrians are questioned by security guards, while local residents navigate the grime and dust of urban life walking along narrow alleys.

The continental bloc might be celebrating 50 years on Saturday, but there is an unmistakable cynicism surrounding the nature and value of the union in meeting the needs of ordinary Africans. 

The AU plans to host commemorative celebrations at a reported cost of $1.3m, despite ongoing conflicts and insecurity in five countries across the continent, including Sudan, the eastern DRC and Mali.

Disarray still reigns in Guinea-Bissau, the Central African Republic and Madagascar. Moreover, despite recent economic growth across the continent, living conditions remain abysmal for many average people, with the UN’s signature index suggesting that 24 of the 25 countries at the bottom of the human development index are African.

These types of statistics compel critics to describe the AU as a talk shop, rudderless and crucially disconnected from African citizens like its predecessor, the Organisation of African Unity (OAU).

Change of focus

Joram Biswaro, Tanzania’s ambassador to Ethiopia, believes criticism of the AU is unfair and out of context. Despite its limitations as a continental bloc, the fact that Madagascar, CAR and Guinea-Bissau were banned from attending the summit for ongoing political irregularities signalled the AU was headed in the right direction, he said.

“Perhaps had it not been for this organisation, Africa might not have achieved what it has achieved … If you want to assess its performance, one should look at its charter,” Biswaro told Al Jazeera.

The original organisation, the OAU, built by 32 African nations originally on May 25, 1963, focused primarily on liberating countries on the continent from the grip of colonialism.

One street away from the headquarters of the African Union, average people are living in poverty [Azad Essa/Al Jazeera] 

The OAU came under sever scrutiny for its inability to intervene in member states during times of strife, coups or government repression earning the name of “dictators’ club” for upholding the interests of member country’s leadership above all else.

But since the formation of the AU in 2002, with a renewed focus on solving conflicts, engineering socio-economic development and improving governance, hard questions are being asked over the political will of the AU to reignite the lost dream of pan-Africanism.

During the Arab Spring of 2011, the AU was an anonymous spectator as a revolutionary fervour that was born in North Africa spread across the Middle East. The AU appeared to be particularly hamstrung in its response to the armed revolt against Muammar Gaddafi in Libya. 

“The crisis in Libya was a very difficult time for the AU’s Peace and Security Council to reach an agreement,” reminisced Yemane Nagish, a political analyst at The Reporter Newspaper, in Addis Ababa.

It is this type of accountability, transparency and political will that needs to improve, says Ashebir Woldegeois, the chairperson of the Health, Labour and Social Affairs of the AU’s Pan-African Parliament.

Accountability issues

With 60 percent of its annual budget reportedly funded by overseas donors, it remains unclear how much political clout and independence the African Union can wield in reality.

Solomon Dersso, senior researcher at the Institute of Security Studies (ISS), says he has no issue with African countries partnering with outside groups to solve problems. Difficulties on the continent need to be viewed in proper context, he said, as some problems come from outside sources, rather than from within Africa. 

“The idea is not that only Africans should do it; the idea is that Africans should be at the centre for the search of solutions,” he told Al Jazeera.

Other observers wonder if ordinary Africans are actually at the forefront of the AU’s concerns. With so many Africans living in politically repressive regimes, like Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia and the Gambia with limitations on freedom of expression, and restrictions on opposition parties, the AU is not yet representative of the African people, critics say.

“Despite being home to several of the world’s worst performing countries in terms of respect for human rights, the region saw overall if uneven progress toward democratisation during the 1990s and the early 2000s,” Freedom House, a US think-tank, reported in regards to Sub-Saharan Africa.

While elections are being held regularly across the continent, these apparent gains towards a culture of democracy are sometimes little more than masterful con jobs.

Election issues

Votes are scheduled this year for fragile states like Zimbabwe and Madagascar, and scrutiny has fallen on the efforts of the African Union to be an honest broker for democracy. In the past, Human Rights Watch has slammed the AU as an organisation ostensibly created to support democracy and freedom but wary of grassroots social movements.

The AU, however, has not been aloof to the challenges posed by political repression on the continent. In 2007, the organisation adopted the Charter for Democracy, Elections and Governance to address a tendency towards authoritarian rule in some African countries.

Highlighting human rights, the rule of law, democratic elections and unconstitutional changes of government, the charter aims to “reinforce commitments to democracy, development and peace in Africa”. There certainly is no faulting its intention but critics say commitment to the Charter has been poor.

Woldegeois, the parliamentary member, said the situation has improved, despite set-backs. ”We are getting there, but many opposition parties in Africa are still immature; many are not willing to work hard in the villages, build their constituencies.”

But other observers said the root problem of representation at the AU can be seen in the group’s founding constitution. 

“Compared to the United Nations charter which starts off with ‘We the people of the United Nations, the AU constitution starts off with ‘We the heads of the state and government,” said Dersso, the researcher. “Make no mistake, this [the AU] is in many ways still a club of heads of state and government and not necessarily a body that truly represents the African people.”

Young and restless 

Almost 65 per cent of Africans are below the age of 35, and many are uninterested in the traditional politics of patronage. The face of the continent has changed.

The new AU Commission Chairperson, Dr Nkhosozana Dlamini-Zuma, has vowed to frame the next five decades around the themes of African identity, integration, economic development and democratic governance, among others.

But without action, analysts warn the continual talk shops at summits can last only for so long.

“There is a great sense of empowerment on the part of the youth,” Dersso said. ”If the actions of leaders are not in sync… [then] these types of governments have no future in Africa.”

As African leaders enjoy the pomp and ceremony in Addis Ababa this weekend, many outside its headquarters still believe the continental body is adrift from the aspirations of its people.

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Article source: http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2013/05/20135259246329717.html

Dozens of African leaders met in the Ethiopian capital to mark 50 years since the founding of the African Union, a continentwide organisation that helped liberate Africa from colonial masters and which now is trying to stay relevant on a continent regularly troubled by conflict.

Opening the summit on Saturday that was attended by US Secretary of State John Kerry and other foreign dignitaries, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said the AU’s original pan-Africanist aspirations remain relevant for a continent where many states are still struggling to overcome rampant poverty and violence.

“This historic day marks not only a great leap forward in the Pan-Africanist quest for freedom, independence and unity but also the beginning of our collective endeavor for the realisations of Africa’s socio-economic emancipation,” he said.

“The major responsibility of the current and future generations of Africans is.to create a continent free from poverty and conflict and an Africa whose citizens would enjoy middle- income status.”

African leaders have gathered to witness celebrations in Addis Ababa for the 50th jubilee of the continental bloc, with its many problems set aside for a day to mark the progress that has been made.

Brazil said Saturday it plans to cancel $900mn worth of debt in 12 African countries, as part of a broader strategy to boost ties with the continent.

“The idea of having Africa as a special relationship for Brazil is strategic for Brazil’s foreign policy,” presidential spokesman Thomas Traumann told reporters on the sidelines of African Union celebrations to mark 50 years of the continental bloc, attended by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.

High-profile guests

Mass dancing troupes performed musical dramas on Saturday to about 10,000 guests in a big hall in the Ethiopian capital, home to the African Union.

Today’s 54-member AU is the successor of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), established amid the heady days as independence from colonial rule swept the continent in 1963.

African leaders were expected to be joined by Francois Hollande, the French president; Wang Yang, China’s vice-premier; and John Kerry, US secretary of state.

Mali is expected to be discussed: it is preparing to receive a UN peacekeeping force to support French soldiers fighting formerly al-Qaeda-linked rebels in the desert north since January.

The agenda will also likely include Madagascar – in political deadlock since a 2009 coup – and the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where UN-backed government soldiers are struggling to defeat rebels. 

There is also an AU move to back Kenya’s call for the Hague-based International Criminal Court to drop crimes-against-humanity charges against Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Speaking to Al Jazeera’s Nazanine Moshiri in Addis Ababa, Nhial Deng Nhial, South Sudan’s foreign minister, said he believed the motion would be passed at the summit.

Time to look back

Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, AU Commission chief, said the “celebration of all Africa” was “historic”, and that it was a time to both look back at the past and consider how the continent can tackle the many challenges ahead.

“The future is in our hands, its bright … the opportunities are great for the continent to be prosperous,” Dlamini-Zuma said in a statement late on Friday.

Somzi Mhlongo, the South African choreographer who organised the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2010 World Cup as well as this year’s Africa Cup of Nations, said the celebrations he had organised would be “an extravaganza”.

Musicians playing include Congolese music legend Papa Wemba, Mali’s Salif Keita and British-based reggae band Steel Pulse, with giant screens set up across Addis Ababa also showing the festival.

The AU has budgeted $1.27m for Saturday’s celebrations, according to official documents seen by South Africa’s Institute for Security Studies (ISS).

Erastus Mwencha, AU Commission deputy chief, said he did not have the exact figure but that some $3m would be spent on Saturday’s festivities and on other events over the coming year.

The AU took over from the OAU in 2002, switching its name in a bid to shrug off its troubled past.

OAU non-interference in member states’ affairs allowed leaders to shirk democratic elections and abuse human rights without criticism from their neighbours.

Combat roles

In recent years, the AU’s role in combat – such as its mission in Somalia to battle al-Qaeda-linked groups – has shown it can take concrete action, even if the funding for that mission comes mainly from Western backers.

But at the same time, the splits revealed by the 2011 conflict in Libya – when members squabbled between those wanting to recognise rebels and those backing Muammar Gaddafi – showed its disunity and lack of global clout.

Gaddafi’s death also robbed the AU of a major source of funding. Leaders will discuss finding backers for the cash-strapped body at a two-day summit following Saturday’s anniversary celebrations.

Development indicators on the continent – including health, education, infant mortality, economic growth and democracy – have improved steadily in the past 50 years.

Africa is home to some of the fastest growing economies in the world according to the IMF, and has attracted huge amounts of foreign investment in recent years.

At the same time 24 out of the bottom 25 nations at the bottom of UN human development index are in Africa, and the subsequent summit will tackle a range of crises the continent faces.

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Article source: http://www.aljazeera.com/video/africa/2013/05/201352575042462766.html

Explosions rocked central Kabul for five hours after Taliban gunmen launched a major suicide and gun attack centred on a compound of the International Organization for Migration, an aid agency.

There are still conflicting reports on the number of casualties in the attack on Friday, but Al Jazeera has learned that at least one police officer was killed, alongside four gunmen, as security forces hunted down the attackers, with prolonged bursts of gunfire and grenade blasts heard across the Afghan capital.

One of the gunmen reportedly died by blowing himself up, injuring three security personnel who were hunting him, Al Jazeera’s Qais Azimy, reporting from Kabul, said.  

A United Nations building and several other official premises were caught  up in the coordinated assault that started when a suicide car bomb sent a plume of dark smoke into the sky.

At least 18 people were also injured, including four UN staffers and four Nepalese guards, Al Jazeera’s Azimy said.   

The Taliban, fighting to expel Western forces and establish Islamic rule, claimed responsibility, saying a compound used by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), had been targeted, our correspondent said.

Azimy also quoted the Taliban as saying that “they are proud” to have carried the attack in the area, which is under high security.

“It’s a show to the people in Afghanistan that they are strong,” our correspondent said.  

Concern is mounting about how the 352,000 members of the Afghan security forces will cope with the militants after most foreign NATO-led combat troops leave by the end of next year.

Kabul police chief Ayoub Salangi said four attackers had entered a UN compound.

“Our security forces have already killed two of them and two are still on the second floor and fighting with Afghan security forces,” Salangi said.

Four blasts

There was no information about anyone who had been inside the compound at the time of the attack.

There were at least four large blasts and exchanges of fire reported between the attackers and Afghan forces, supported by Norwegian special forces, at 6:20 pm (1350 GMT), witnesses said.

The first blast was a suicide car-bomb blast at about 4 pm (1130 GMT) near a main intersection, said Kabul police chief spokesman Hashmatullah Stanikzai.

A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, speaking to Reuters by telephone, separately claimed responsibility.

Shooting erupted after the first bomb, with more blasts beginning about 30 minutes later.

Insurgent attacks against civilians, government workers and Afghan security forces have increased in recent weeks as the Taliban, toppled by a US-led force in 2001, exert increasing pressure on the Afghan government.

Fifteen people, including six Americans, were killed on May 16 in a suicide bombing by the Hezb-i Islami rebel group, which is allied with the Taliban.

Last year, more than a dozen people were killed during a Taliban attack in Kabul which started with coordinated suicide attacks and led to an 18-hour long siege.

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Article source: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2013/05/2013524131858803795.html

Pakistani police say a gas-cylinder explosion inside a school bus has killed at least 17 children in eastern Pakistan.

Mohammed Rasheed,  a police officer, said seven children were also injured on Saturday when the faulty gas cylinder exploded on the outskirts of the city of Gujrat.

He says the dead and injured children were going to school at the time.

Gujrat is located about 200km southeast of the capital, Islamabad.

In other developments in Pakistan, a pair of suspected armed attacks killed nine people in two different areas of the country’s northwest on Friday, police said.

In the deadlier of the two attacks, suspected fighters armed with heavy weapons attacked a police convoy in Mattani, 20km south of the main northwest city of Peshawar, killing six policemen and wounding seven others, Shafiullah Khan, senior police officer, said.

In the second attack, a suicide bomber walked up to a vehicle owned by an Afghan religious leader in Peshawar and set off his explosives, killing three people, Riaz Ali Shah, a police officer, said.

The leader, Haji Hayatullah, was not harmed in the attack because he was in a nearby mosque attending Friday prayers.

Hayatullah’s driver and guard were killed, Shah said.

A passerby was also killed and two others were wounded, Liaquat Ali Khan, the Peshawar police chief, said.

There are more than one million refugees in Pakistan from neighbouring Afghanistan.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

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Article source: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2013/05/201352544547450994.html

The FBI has identified five men it believes were involved in last year’s deadly attack on the US consulate in Benghazi.

Washington has not officially asked the Libyan government to apprehend the men, but Al Jazeera has learned that US officials have tried to get powerful armed groups to co-operate.

The US initially said that the violence was in response to a video posted online that was insulting to Islam, however recent evidence suggests it was a planned attack. 

The attack left four Americans dead including Ambassador Christopher Stevens, who died from smoke inhalation.

Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr reporting from Benghazi said that the FBI had released photos of the suspects earlier this month, captured by security cameras during the attack.

When our correspondent spoke to a commander of the Libyan Sheild Brigade in Benghazi, he said there is confusion as to whether the violence started after the protesters came under fire from inside the consulate.

“They need to give us evidence. Then we can capture them,” Adel Belgaid said. “But we will carry out our own investigation and they would face trial here. And if US uses ground troops to capture them, this would violate our sovereignty and it will be confronted.” 

Another member of a different brigade told our correspondent that the US should have heeded his warnings three days before the attack about the deteriorating security.

Unilateral action

In an interview with Al Jazeera, David Mack, former ambassador to Libya, said that Libya is facing a situation of turmoil in which various groups are contesting for power.

“The government faces some serious constraints in maintaining order,” he said. “We want to help that but we must insist that the perpetrators of this crime be brought to justice.”

Mack added that it was too premature to talk about the US going into Libya unilaterally. He said the important task right was to reassert the Libyan presence in terms of security and it is up to the Libyans to decide whether their justice system is up to dealing with the suspects.

Washington no longer has an official presence in Benghazi. But recently, a confirmation hearing of Stevens’ successor, Ambassaor Deborah Jones, was held in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The appointment has yet to be endorsed by the full Senate.

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Article source: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2013/05/2013524163244498132.html

Taliban fighters have launched a coordinated attack on a UN compound in the centre of the Afghan capital Kabul, setting off explosions and battling security forces.

There were conflicting reports about the number of casualties, but at least eight foreign workers, including four UN staffers and four Nepalese guards had been injured in the attack on Friday, Al Jazeera’s Qais Azimy, reporting from Kabul, said.  

A plume of smoke hung over the city centre after the attack was launched, just eight days after six Americans, soldiers and civilians, and nine Afghans were killed in a suicide car bombing in Kabul.

The Taliban, fighting to expel Western forces and establish Islamic rule, claimed responsibility, saying a compound used by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), had been targeted, Al Jazeera’s Azimy said.

“It’s a city in panic again,” Azimy said. In his latest report, he said he could no longer hear gunfire. But he also said that authorities still believe the gunmen are still alive and holed up in one of the government buildings.   

At least six attackers were reportedly armed with “heavy machine guns”.

He also quoted the Taliban as saying that “they are proud” to have carried the attack in the area, which is under high security.

“It’s a show to the people in Afghanistan that they are strong,” our correspondent said.  

Concern is mounting about how the 352,000 members of the Afghan security forces will cope with the militants after most foreign NATO-led combat troops leave by the end of next year.

Kabul police chief Ayoub Salangi said four attackers had entered a UN compound.

“Our security forces have already killed two of them and two are still on the second floor and fighting with Afghan security forces,” Salangi said.

Four blasts

There was no information about anyone who had been inside the compound at the time of the attack.

There were at least four large blasts and exchanges of fire reported between the attackers and Afghan forces, supported by Norwegian special forces, at 6:20 pm (1350 GMT), witnesses said.

The first blast was a suicide car-bomb blast at about 4 pm (1130 GMT) near a main intersection, said Kabul police chief spokesman Hashmatullah Stanikzai.

A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, speaking to Reuters by telephone, claimed responsibility.

He said the fighters were targeting a compound used “mostly by members of the CIA”, adding that they had gained access to the compound after the first bomb.

The Taliban routinely overstate the results of their attacks.

Shooting erupted after the first bomb, with more blasts beginning about 30 minutes later.

Insurgent attacks against civilians, government workers and Afghan security forces have increased in recent weeks as the Taliban, toppled by a US-led force in 2001, exert increasing pressure on the Afghan government.

Fifteen people, including six Americans, were killed on May 16 in a suicide bombing by the Hezb-i Islami rebel group, which is allied with the Taliban.

Last year, more than a dozen people were killed during a Taliban attack in Kabul which started with coordinated suicide attacks and led to an 18-hour long siege.

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Article source: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2013/05/2013524131858803795.html

Two British men have been arrested after fighter jets were launched to divert a civilian plane carrying nearly 300 passengers from Pakistan to England after a threat call was made to air traffic control.

Britain’s Ministry of Defence said on Friday that the Typhoons were launched from RAF Coningsby, in Lincolnshire, to investigate an incident involving a civilian aircraft.

The civilian plane was diverted from Manchester Airport to Stansted Airport, which is used to handle security incidents on planes, after the men allegedly threatened to destroy the plane.

British security forces and police said that early indications suggest the plane had not be subject to a terror attack.

Al Jazeera’s Rory Challands, reporting from London, said the men, aged 30 and 41, had been arrested on suspicion of endangering an aircraft.

“The plane is safely on the ground and has been isolated in a part of the airport away from passenger planes,” our correspondent said.

“It does seem that the initial fears surrounding this incident are starting to calm down a bit.”

Our correspondent said that concerns were raised about the flight about ten minutes before it was due to land after a threat call was made to the UK’s air traffic control.

Pakistan International Airlines confirmed that Flight P709, travelling from Lahore to Manchester, was involved.

Spokesman Mashood Tajwar said the airline had been unable to contact the pilot of the Flight P709 despite repeated attempts. He said 297 passengers and 11 crew members were on the diverted plane.

The MOD said the incident was now a police matter and that the ministry’s involvement was over.

“Typhoon aircraft from RAF Coningsby have been launched to investigate an incident involving an aircraft in UK airspace,” the MoD spokesman said, adding that Typhoon planes can be scrambled if the pilot or crew of a passenger aircraft sends out a passenger signal.

“The purpose of going up is to investigate what the situation is. Often when a Quick Reaction Alert aircraft is launched the details are not known, but it is known that a signal has been sent.”

“Part of the purpose of sending a Typhoon up is to have a look and see what they can see.”

Essex Police confirmed that “an incident has occurred” on the plane and that police and partners are responding.

“Essex Police have boarded a passenger plane diverted to Stansted Airport and two men have been arrested on suspicion of endangerment of an aircraft,” the force said in a statement.

“They have been removed from the plane.” 

The plane will remain at its current location and will be subject to forensic examination by specialist officers.

Al Jazeera’s Simon McgGegor Wood, reporting from Stansted, said the passengers had been disembarked and would be sent to Manchester later today.

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Article source: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2013/05/2013524133045345171.html

Russia says the Syrian government had agreed in principle to attend an international peace conference proposed by Russia and the US, and criticised what it called attempts to undermine peace efforts.

The summit has been suggested by the US and Russia and could take place in the Swiss city of Geneva.

“We note with satisfaction that we have received an agreement in principle from Damascus to attend the international conference, in the interest of Syrians themselves finding a political path to resolve the conflict, which is ruinous for the nation and region,” Alexander Lukashevich, Russian foreign ministry spokesman, said on Friday.

The statement comes ahead of a meeting between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister, due on Monday, where the two countries will continue discussions about the peace conference. 

Faisal Mekdad, Syrian deputy foreign minister, said after talks in Moscow on Wednesday the government would soon decide whether to take part in the conference aimed at bringing government and opposition representatives together for talks.

Lukashevich said international action including a May 15 UN General Assembly resolution that praised the opposition and condemned President Bashar al-Assad’s forces has “essentially pushed [the opposition]to reject negotiations”.

Some European media have reported that the conference has been tentatively scheduled to be held on June 10.

But Lukashevich said such reports “cannot be taken seriously” because the ranks of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s foes remain so divided.

“Demands to immediately name a specific date for the conference without having clarity about who, and with what authority, will speak in the name of the opposition, cannot be taken seriously,” Lukashevich said.

The opposition Syrian National Coalition, which is currently meeting in Istanbul, to discuss an interim government, has said it will only go to “Geneva II” if Assad steps down as president.

Louai Safi, a senior member of Syria’s main opposition, told Al Jazeera, “The fact that it has been announced in Moscow, rather than in Damascus, is a worrying point, as we want to hear the spokesperson of the Syrian government making that statement with clarity.”

“There is alot of ambiguity. What does it mean, ‘in principle’?,” he said.

“We want to hear definitive answers….We want to see a clarity of the purpose of Geneva.”

The Syrian National Coalition, which is main opposition group based outside the country, entered a second day of talks on Friday aimed at finding an approach to the joint Russian-US peace push.

The first Geneva meeting in June last year ended in a broad agreement aimed at forming a transition government in Syria and introducing a long-lasting truce.

But the deal was never implemented because of disagreements over Assad’s role in the new government and neither side’s decision to lay down their arms.

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Article source: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2013/05/20135248428250959.html

At least nine cars were torched and two schools and a police station were set ablaze as riots swept through Stockholm’s immigrant-dominated suburbs for the fifth straight night, police and firefighters have said.

Early on Friday, police told Swedish news agency TT that eight people had been arrested so far for the night’s rioting, but no injuries were reported.

Police said on Thursday they would be calling in reinforcements from other parts of the country as they prepared for more trouble.

The riots have sparked a debate in Sweden about the assimilation of immigrants, who make up about 15 percent of the population.

In Rinkeby, one of the city’s immigrant-dominated areas, firefighters rushed late on Thursday to put out flames that engulfed six cars parked alongside each other.

Three more cars were torched in the Norsborg suburb, and a police station in Aelvsjoe was set on fire but quickly extinguished, police said.

Firefighters meanwhile, said a school in another immigrant-heavy suburb, Tensta, was set ablaze but quickly extinguished. A nursery school in the Kista suburb was also on fire.

The previous night, the fire brigade had been called to some 90 different blazes, most of them caused by rioters.

Earlier, rioters hurled rocks at a local police station in the Kista district, near the suburb of Husby where the unrest began on Sunday night.

In the southern suburb of Skogaas, a restaurant was badly damaged after it was set on fire.

And police in Soedertaelje, a town south of Stockholm, said rioters threw stones at them as they responded to reports of cars set alight.

Husby incident

The troubles are believed to have been triggered by the fatal police shooting of a 69-year-old Husby resident last week after the man wielded a machete in public.

The man then fled to his apartment, where police have said they tried to mediate but ended up shooting him dead in what they claimed was self-defence.

Two people, including one police officer, were reported injured in the first four nights of rioting.

About 80 percent of the 12,000 residents in Husby are immigrants.

Many of the immigrants who have arrived due to the country’s generous refugee policy struggle to learn the language and find employment despite numerous government programmes.

In the past decade, Sweden has welcomed hundreds of thousands of immigrants from Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia and the Balkans, among others.

This is not the first time the Scandinavian country has seen riots among immigrants.

In 2010, up to 100 youths threw bricks, set fires and attacked the local police station in Rinkeby for two nights.

Integration Minister Erik Ullenhag attributed the violence to high unemployment and social exclusion in Sweden’s immigrant-dominated areas.

In Husby, overall unemployment was 8.8 percent in 2012, compared to 3.3 percent in Stockholm as a whole, according to official data.

And a total of 12 percent in Husby received social benefits last year, compared to 3.6 percent in Stockholm as a whole.

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Article source: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2013/05/20135240162725894.html