Tag Archives: horse-racing
No hint of compromise in Syria peace talks
No hint of compromise in Syria peace talks (AFP) / 23 January 2014 UN leader Ban Ki-moon urged Syrian regime and opposition to finally work together at the table. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon greets UAE Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Montreux on Wednesday. — Reuters Syria’s peace conference moved into a second day on Thursday with the warring sides showing no willingness to compromise as global powers seek to engineer head-to-head talks on ending the bloodshed. The biggest push yet to end the conflict was marked by fiery exchanges on day one on Wednesday as the regime and the opposition clashed over President Bashar Al Assad’s fate at the UN meeting in Switzerland. Expectations are very low for a breakthrough at the conference, but diplomats believe that simply bringing the two sides together for the first time is a mark of some progress and could be an important first step. After a day of formal speeches set to be followed this week by talks involving the two sides, UN leader Ban Ki-moon urged Syria’s regime and opposition to finally work together at the table. “The world wants an urgent end to the conflict,” Ban said in a closing press conference at the talks in the Swiss town of Montreux on Wednesday. “Enough is enough, the time has to come to negotiate.” US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attend the opening speech of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon during peace talks in Montreux. AP But official statements made by the delegations gave no hint of compromise, as the two sides met on the shores of Lake Geneva for the first time since the conflict erupted in March 2011. Branding the opposition “traitors” and foreign agents, Syrian officials insisted Assad would not give up power, while the opposition said he must step down and face trial. “Assad will not go,” Syrian Information Minister Omran Al Zohbi said on the sidelines of the conference. In his speech, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al Moallem surprised observers with a vehement attack on the opposition that went on long beyond the allotted time of less than 10 minutes, forcing Ban to repeatedly ask him to wrap it up. US Secretary of State John Kerry talks to UAE Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Montreux on Wednesday. — AP “They (the opposition) claim to represent the Syrian people. If you want to speak in the name of the Syrian people, you should not be traitors to the Syrian people, agents in the pay of enemies of the Syrian people,” Moallem said. Ahmad Al Jarba, the head of the opposition Syrian National Coalition, called on the regime to “immediately” sign a deal reached at the last peace conference in Geneva in 2012 setting out “the transfer of powers from Assad, including for the army and security, to a transition government”. Al Jarba said that would be “the preamble to Bashar Al Assad’s resignation and his trial alongside all the criminals of his regime”. Leading a series of sharp US accusations against the Syrian regime, Secretary of State John Kerry insisted Assad could not be part of any transitional government. “There is no way, not possible in the imagination, that the man who has led the brutal response to his own people could regain legitimacy to govern,” Kerry said. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al Moallem leads his delegation during a plenary session of a peace conference on Syria. – AP US officials also slammed the Syrian delegation for its incendiary remarks. “Instead of laying out a positive vision for the future of Syria that is diverse, inclusive and respectful of the rights of all, the Syrian regime chose inflammatory rhetoric,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius accused the regime of lowering the tone of the discussions, saying its delegation was the only one that was “deaf and blind”. “The situation is very difficult, we couldn’t expect a bed of roses,” Fabius said. At his closing press conference, Kerry said Washington was also pursuing “different avenues” to resolve the conflict alongside peace talks, including “augmented support to the opposition”. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned the talks will “not be simple, they will not be quick” but urged both sides to seize a “historic opportunity”. About 40 nations and international bodies were gathered, but no direct talks are expected until possibly Friday — when opposition and regime delegations will meet in Geneva for negotiations that officials have said could last seven to 10 days. The UN Special Representative Lakhdar Brahimi, centre, attends the start of the Syrian peace talks in Montreux, Switzerland. – AP The UN-Arab League envoy for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, told the closing press conference he would meet on Thursday with both sides to discuss the next step in negotiations. “Tomorrow I am going to meet them separately and see how best we can move forward,” Brahimi said. “Do we go straight into one room and start discussing or do we talk a little bit more separately?… I don’t know yet.” Erupting after the regime cracked down on protests inspired by the Arab Spring, the civil war has claimed more than 130,000 lives and forced millions from the homes. Recent months have seen the conflict settle into a brutal stalemate — with the death toll rising but neither camp making decisive gains. With no one ready for serious concessions, world powers will be looking for short-term deals to keep the process moving forward, including on localised ceasefires, freer humanitarian access and prisoner exchanges. Brahimi said he “had indications” from both sides that they were willing discuss these issues. A TV grab from a United Nation’s UNTV broadcast, shows Amhad Al Jarba holding up an image of alleged opposition torture victims, during the Syrian peace talks in Montreux. AFP/UNTV Notably absent from the table was Iran, after Ban reversed a last-minute invitation when the opposition said it would boycott if Tehran took part. There were stark reminders of the conflict’s impact in the run-up to the talks, with continued fighting on the ground and new evidence in a report alleging that Assad’s forces have systematically killed and tortured 11,000 people. The opposition called at the conference for an international inquiry into the allegations. “We have to stop this spiral of violence. We do call for an international inspection to visit places of detention and see the facts of torture that our citizens face every day,” Al Jarba said. For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
From one father of an ailing son to another
From one father of an ailing son to another Nivriti Butalia / 23 January 2014 Ali’s father gives the money he had after paying hospital bill to another needy father for treating his son. On Tuesday, Sayed Bawazeer’s three-month-old son Mohamad was released from ICU after spending three months at Al Baraha hospital. Sayed, whose salary is just Dh4,000, couldn’t pay the hospital bill of nearly Dh2,000,00, and he had to seek donations in order to get his son home. Readers came forward and the amount was secured. On Tuesday, the bill was finally paid. There was even some extra money. What Sayed decided to do with that money is a story and lesson in rare magnanimity – he gave the excess Dh30,000 to another needy father, Mohamed Altaf. By Wednesday afternoon, Sayed was on his way to visit Dubai Hospital where Altaf’s eight-year-old son, who is also named Ali, has been admitted in Dubai Hospital since August. Ali, ailing from bone marrow cancer has just had his 9 th round of Chemotherapy. Doctors want a bone marrow transplant to take place in February and Altaf is worried about the expense. Sayed visited Ali at 3.45pm on Wednesday. Ali’s father first refused the money, telling Sayeed that his son still had a hole in his heart, you will need this money for treatment. But Sayed stuck to his guns, spent time with Ali. “He’s such a sweet loving boy. We made a plan to eat pizza and home food once he’s out of hospital.” To read Ali’s full story, click here http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-1.asp?section=nationhealth&xfile=data/nationhealth/2013/December/nationhealth_December23.xml For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Support Emiratis in repaying loans, UAE warns banks
Support Emiratis in repaying loans, UAE warns banks Nissar Hoath / 23 January 2014 Banks that do not support Emiratis to get their heavy debts cleared under a programme initiated by the President to be penalised. The Office of the Presidential Affairs on Wednesday warned that banks which fail to cooperate and help heavily indebted Emiratis will be penalised. “Those banks that do not support Emiratis to get their heavy debts cleared under a programme initiated by the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in 2011 will also be penalised,” said Ahmed Jumma Al Za’abi, Deputy Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of the Fund for the Settlement of Bad Debts, at a Press conference after the opening of the fund headquarters in Al Jazira Club complex where Emiratis can visit and submit their applications for their bank debt waivers. Al Za’abi said so far the fund has helped 2,700 out of 6,000 applicants clearing debts of over Dh1.8 billion with the support of banks. “More than 50 per cent of the banks operating in the country have been very helpful and providing concession to help clear the loans of Emiratis under the fund programme. The other banks have been little helpful. However, if we don’t see any cooperation from these banks, action will be taken against them and (they will be) penalised,” he said without disclosing the names of the banks that did not take part in the initiative. He also said in case of non-cooperation, the names of the banks will be sent and published by the Central Bank, and there will be no cooperation and support from the government to these banks. Al Za’abi further added the fund has agreed to write off 50 per cent of the debtors’ loans, while the other half would be settled by the loans’ fund that would be reimbursed from the debtors through their salaries. He also said the fund was initiated by the President in 2011 with the allocation of Dh10 billion to help those Emiratis who were facing lawsuits or police cases related to their bank loans. To a question, Al Za’abi said the fund was established for the support of UAE citizens only and expatriates will not benefit from it. He also said under the fund programme, all criminal cases pending in connection with bounced security cheques and non-repayment of loans by Emiratis have been suspended and debts cleared. Al Za’abi, said most of the cases relate to, personal and car loans and loans sought for setting up small businesses. In March last year, the Shaikh Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development signed a joint deal with 34 defaulting Emiratis entrepreneurs to protect them from prosecution. The fund was established in 2007 with a Dh2 billion fund. nissar@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
