‘Sponsors’ of Syrian Rebels Sabotage Geneva-2 – Russian MP

Source : RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, October 27 (RIA Novosti) – A senior Russian lawmaker said Sunday that the recent refusal of 19 Syrian opposition groups to attend a peace conference in Geneva was instigated by their foreign backers.

“Nineteen groups in the Syrian opposition, which is incapable of acting without outside support, ‘rejected’ Geneva-2. It means their sponsors want it to fall through,” Alexei Pushkov, the head of State Duma’s foreign policy committee, said on Twitter.

The militant groups, most of them moderate Islamists, announced their decision in a joint statement on late Saturday.

Geneva-2, tentatively set for November 23, is meant to bring the Syrian government and the rebels to the negotiation table in hopes of ending the 2 1/2-year-long civil strife in the Middle Eastern country.

Pushkov, a former TV host and a foreign policy hawk, did not name the alleged sponsors.

But he has previously criticized Western countries, particularly t United States, for their support of the Syrian opposition in their battle against the Moscow-backed government in Damascus.

A number of groups in the fractured Syrian opposition have already voiced reluctance to participate in Geneva-2, which is set up jointly by Moscow and Washington.

(Abbreviature in the headline was corrected from "PM.")

Turkey to Hold Pro-Government Rallies Next Weekend

Source : RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, June 9 (RIA Novosti) – Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is expected to hold pro-government rallies next weekend in Ankara and Istanbul in a bid to fight back against mass anti-government protests, local media said on Sunday.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has earlier held two rallies in Adana and Mersin, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, the Hürriyet Daily News has reported.

"We are going to show patience, but patience has a limit as well. Those who hide behind the protestors should first learn what politics is," Erdogan said on Sunday showing no signs of cancelling a redevelopment project in Istanbul despite mass protests.

The Turkish prime minister rejected on Saturday the protestors’ demand for snap elections, saying that "you don't decide on early elections because people are marching on the streets."

The civil unrest in major Turkish cities was sparked by the government’s plans to demolish Gezi Park in central Istanbul and replace it with a rebuilt Ottoman barracks and a shopping mall.

As the number of people protesting the mooted demolition of the park gradually increased, police moved in to disperse the crowds last Saturday by using tear gas. Outraged protesters reportedly responded by hurling stones and bottles at policemen. Over 3,000 people have been injured and at least three people have died in demonstrations across the country in the past week.

Most of the casualties were reported in Istanbul, where demonstrations began before spreading to Ankara, Antalya, Izmi Adana and other Turkish cities. Erdogan blamed the protests on extremists.