EU agrees ‘roadmap’ for easing Syria sanctions

From left, Malta’s Foreign Minister Ian Borg, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, Latvia’s Foreign Minister Baiba Braze and Slovakia’s Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar speak with each other during meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. (AP)
From left, Malta’s Foreign Minister Ian Borg, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, Latvia’s Foreign Minister Baiba Braze and Slovakia’s Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar speak with each other during meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. (AP)
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Updated 27 January 2025
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EU agrees ‘roadmap’ for easing Syria sanctions

EU agrees ‘roadmap’ for easing Syria sanctions
  • EU imposed wide-ranging sanctions on the Assad government and Syria’s economy during its civil war
  • “While we aim to move fast, we also are ready to reverse the course if the situation worsens,” Kallas said

BRUSSELS: EU foreign ministers on Monday agreed to begin easing sanctions on Syria after the ouster of Bashar Assad, as the West looks to build bridges with the war-ravaged country’s new leadership.
“This could give a boost to the Syrian economy and help the country get back on its feet,” foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said after a meeting in Brussels.
The 27-nation EU imposed wide-ranging sanctions on the Assad government and Syria’s economy during its civil war.
Kallas said ministers had signed up to a “roadmap” for lifting the sanctions starting with key sectors such as energy where relief is needed most urgently.
“While we aim to move fast, we also are ready to reverse the course if the situation worsens, and in parallel, we will scale up humanitarian aid and recovery efforts,” she said.
France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the EU could begin by suspending sanctions on the energy, transport and banking sectors.
Europe is keen to help the reconstruction of the Syria and build better ties with its new rulers after the end of the Assad family’s five-decade rule.
But some EU countries worry about embracing the new rulers in Damascus too quickly.
The EU will only suspend the sanctions and not lift them definitively to maintain leverage over the Syrian leadership.
Syria’s new de facto leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa, and the extremist group he led, Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, remain under EU sanctions.
Diplomats said there was still no discussion about lifting those designations, as with others on the Assad regime.
“What we are not relieving, of course, is anything related to arms dealing, and everything that we are still concerned about,” Kallas said.
The new leadership in Syria has been lobbying the West to lift sanctions — especially in the financial sector — to allow the country to rebuild.
“We welcome the positive step taken by the European Union to suspend sanctions on Syria for one year, and look forward to seeing them lifted completely,” Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani said on X.
“We hope that this decision will have a constructive impact on all aspects of life for the Syrian people and ensure sustainable development.”


Tunisia quits African Union rights court

Updated 5 sec ago
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Tunisia quits African Union rights court

Tunisia quits African Union rights court
The statement did not provide a reason for the government’s withdrawal from the Arusha-based court
The Tunisian League for Human Rights (LTDH) denounced Tunisia’s withdrawal from the court as a decision “taken secretly“

TUNIS: Tunisia has said it is withdrawing from the human rights court of the African Union, as rights groups denounce another rollback on freedoms in the increasingly authoritarian North African nation.
Tunisia announced in a declaration circulated by activists since Thursday “the withdrawal of its recognition of the competence of the (African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights) to accept cases from individuals and non-governmental organizations.”
The statement did not provide a reason for the government’s withdrawal from the Arusha-based court, which is tasked with enforcing the AU’s human rights charter.
The Tunisian foreign ministry did not respond to AFP’s requests to comment.
Tunisia had granted its citizens and NGOs the right to petition the court in 2017 after it emerged as the only surviving democracy from the Arab Spring of 2011.
Kais Saied was elected president in 2019 but in 2021 he staged a sweeping power grab and human rights groups have since raised concerns over a rollback on freedoms.
A number of his leading critics are currently behind bars.
Some are being prosecuted in an ongoing mass trial on charges of plotting against the state. Human rights groups have denounced the case as politically motivated.
In May 2023, the relatives of four detained opposition figures, including Ennahdha party leader Rached Ghannouchi, filed a case with the African court demanding their release.
In August, the court ruled against Tunisia, urging authorities to stop preventing the detainees from accessing their lawyers and doctors.
The Tunisian League for Human Rights (LTDH) denounced Tunisia’s withdrawal from the court as a decision “taken secretly.”
It said the move was “a dangerous step backwards and an attempt to withdraw from independent judicial institutions capable of fighting impunity and guaranteeing justice.”
Tunisian human rights group, the CRLDHT, said the withdrawal “nullifies a historic commitment” to the court and was “a shameful renunciation” of Tunisian pledges to protect human rights.
“This decision now deprives Tunisian citizens and human rights organizations of the ability to bring cases directly before the African court to challenge state violations,” it said.

After protests, Erdogan says Turkiye ‘won’t surrender to street terror’

After protests, Erdogan says Turkiye ‘won’t surrender to street terror’
Updated 11 min 19 sec ago
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After protests, Erdogan says Turkiye ‘won’t surrender to street terror’

After protests, Erdogan says Turkiye ‘won’t surrender to street terror’
  • “Turkiye will not surrender to street terror,” Erdogan said

ISTANBUL: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday said Turkiye would not be cowed by “street terror” after days of widespread protests over the detention of Istanbul’s powerful opposition mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu.
“Turkiye will not surrender to street terror,” Erdogan said, as the main opposition CHP called for nationwide protests later on Friday.


Hamas studying US ‘bridge’ proposal on ceasefire as Israel escalates return to war

Hamas studying US ‘bridge’ proposal on ceasefire as Israel escalates return to war
Updated 16 min 47 sec ago
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Hamas studying US ‘bridge’ proposal on ceasefire as Israel escalates return to war

Hamas studying US ‘bridge’ proposal on ceasefire as Israel escalates return to war
  • A Palestinian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters Egypt had also put forward a bridging proposal, but Hamas had yet to respond
  • The official declined to provide details on the proposal, which he said was under consideration

CAIRO/DUBAI: Hamas said on Friday it was reviewing a US proposal to restore the Gaza ceasefire as Israel intensified military operations in the enclave to press the Palestinian militant group into freeing remaining Israeli hostages.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff’s “bridge” plan, presented last week, aims to extend the ceasefire into April, beyond Ramadan and Passover, to allow time for negotiations on a permanent cessation of hostilities.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the military was ramping up air, land and sea strikes and would also evacuate civilians to the southern part of Gaza, speaking three days after Israel effectively abandoned the two-month-old truce.
Katz emphasized that Israel would continue its campaign until Hamas released further hostages and was totally defeated.
However, while Israel inflicted serious damage on Hamas with airstrikes this week that killed its Gaza government chief and other top officials, Palestinian and Israeli sources say Hamas has shown it can absorb major losses and still fight and govern.
Hamas said it was still debating Witkoff’s proposal and other ideas, with the goal of reaching a deal on prisoner releases, ending the war, and securing a complete Israeli military withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
A Palestinian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters Egypt had also put forward a bridging proposal, but Hamas had yet to respond. The official declined to provide details on the proposal, which he said was under consideration.
Two Egyptian security sources said Egypt suggested putting a timeline into place for releasing the rest of the hostages alongside a deadline for a full Israeli pullout from Gaza with US guarantees.
The sources said the US had signalled initial approval of the plan while Hamas and Israel’s responses were expected later on Friday.
A temporary, first phase of the truce ended at the start of this month, but Israel and Hamas could not overcome differences over terms for launching the second phase. Hamas held up further hostage releases and Israeli military action then resumed.
After two months of relative calm, Gazans were again fleeing for their lives after Israel launched a new, all-out air and ground campaign against Hamas on Tuesday, after again halting all aid deliveries into the narrow coastal enclave.
Katz warned that Hamas would lose more territory the longer it kept refusing to free remaining hostages. Of the more than 250 originally seized in Hamas’ October 2023 attack on Israel, 59 remain in Gaza, 24 of whom are thought to be alive.

HUMANITARIAN CRISIS WORSENING
Tuesday’s first day of renewed Israeli airstrikes killed more than 400 Palestinians, one of the deadliest days of the 17-month-old war.
On Friday, five people including three children were killed in an Israeli airstrike that hit a house in the Tuffah district of Gaza City in the enclave’s north, while two people — a woman and her daughter — were killed by tank fire in Abassan near Khan Younis in the south, according to Palestinian medics.
The United Nations’ Palestinian relief agency UNRWA, one of the largest providers of food aid in Gaza, warned on Friday it only had enough flour to distribute for the next six days.
“We can stretch that by giving people less, but we are talking days, not weeks,” UNRWA official Sam Rose told reporters in Geneva in an online briefing from central Gaza.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza was once again alarming due to massive reductions in distribution of aid, UNRWA said.
“Six of 25 bakeries that the World Food Programme were supporting had to close down. There are larger crowds on streets outside bakeries,” Rose added.
“This is the longest period since the start of conflict in October 2023 that no supplies whatsoever have entered Gaza. The progress we made as an aid system over the last six weeks of the ceasefire is being reversed,” Rose added.
Israel’s blockage has led to a hike in prices of essential foods as well as of fuel, forcing many to ration their meals.
The war began after Hamas militants attacked Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies.
More than 49,000 Palestinians have been killed in the ensuing conflict, according to Gaza’s health authorities, with much of the densely populated territory reduced to rubble.


Israel intensifying Gaza strikes to press Hamas into freeing hostages, defense minister says

Israel intensifying Gaza strikes to press Hamas into freeing hostages, defense minister says
Updated 21 March 2025
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Israel intensifying Gaza strikes to press Hamas into freeing hostages, defense minister says

Israel intensifying Gaza strikes to press Hamas into freeing hostages, defense minister says
  • US envoy Steve Witkoff last week a ‘bridge’ plan to extend the ceasefire in Gaza into April beyond Ramadan and Passover

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Friday the army was intensifying strikes from the air, land and sea in Gaza to pressure Hamas into freeing remaining hostages, and would also evacuate civilians to the south of the enclave.

After two months of relative calm, Gazans were again fleeing for their lives after Israel effectively abandoned a ceasefire, launching a new all-out air and ground campaign against Gaza’s dominant Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Hamas said on Friday it is still discussing US envoy Steve Witkoff’s proposal and various other ideas, with the aim of reaching a deal to release prisoners, end the war in Gaza, and achieve a withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Palestinian enclave.

Witkoff presented last week a “bridge” plan to extend the ceasefire in Gaza into April beyond Ramadan and Passover and allow time to negotiate a permanent cessation of hostilities.

Katz said the more Hamas continued to refuse to release the remaining Israeli hostages, the more territory it would lose to Israel.

He said the military would step up strikes from the air, sea and land and expand ground operations until the hostages are released and Hamas was finally defeated.

With talks having failed to bridge differences over terms to extend the ceasefire, the Israeli military resumed assaults on Gaza with a massive bombing campaign on Tuesday before sending in troops the day after.

Tuesday’s first day of resumed airstrikes killed more than 400 Palestinians, one of the deadliest days of the 17-month-old war, with scant let-up since then.


Six days of flour left to distribute in Gaza – UNRWA

Six days of flour left to distribute in Gaza – UNRWA
Updated 21 March 2025
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Six days of flour left to distribute in Gaza – UNRWA

Six days of flour left to distribute in Gaza – UNRWA
  • ‘We can stretch that by giving people less, but we are talking days not weeks’
  • ‘This is the longest period since the start of conflict in October 2023 that no supplies whatsoever have entered Gaza’

GENEVA: One of the largest providers of food aid in Gaza warned on Friday it only has enough flour to distribute for the next six days.

“We can stretch that by giving people less, but we are talking days not weeks,” Sam Rose from the United Nations’ Palestinian relief agency UNRWA told reporters in Geneva, speaking from Central Gaza.

The situation in Gaza is gravely concerning with massive reductions in distribution of aid supplies, UNRWA said.

“Six of 25 bakeries that the World Food Programme were supporting had to close down. There are larger crowds on streets outside bakeries,” Rose added.

“This is the longest period since the start of conflict in October 2023 that no supplies whatsoever have entered Gaza. The progress we made as an aid system over the last six weeks of the ceasefire is being reversed,” Rose added.

Israel in early March blocked the entry of goods into the territory in a standoff over a truce that has halted fighting for the past seven weeks. The move has led to a hike in prices of essential foods as well as of fuel, forcing many to ration their meals.