Syria postpones Abbas's visit, expresses dismay at delaying Goldstone report
[ 05/10/2009 - 09:01 AM ]
DAMASCUS, (PIC)-- Syria has asked Mahmoud Abbas, the PA chief whose term in office expired last January, to postpone his scheduled visit to Damascus because of preoccupations, Syrian media sources said on Monday.
Observers in the Syrian capital said that the announcement was in fact canceling the visit of Abbas, who was supposed to arrive in Damascus on Monday evening, adding that it displayed a clear rejection of Abbas's position regarding the report of Richard Goldstone, the UN assigned judge to probe Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
The official Syrian news agency SANA had quoted a source in the foreign ministry as saying that his country was surprised at the Palestinian Authority's request for deferring a vote on Goldstone's report that incriminated Israel.
He said that the PA step had blocked Arab, Islamic and international efforts to adopt that report, which allows prosecution of Israeli war criminals at international courts.
The source affirmed that Damascus would continue to work with international concerned parties to adopt practical measures against the perpetrators of those crimes against humanity as indicated in the report.
He finally declared his country's support for the calls on UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to refer the report to the UN Security Council.
[ 05/10/2009 - 09:01 AM ]
DAMASCUS, (PIC)-- Syria has asked Mahmoud Abbas, the PA chief whose term in office expired last January, to postpone his scheduled visit to Damascus because of preoccupations, Syrian media sources said on Monday.
Observers in the Syrian capital said that the announcement was in fact canceling the visit of Abbas, who was supposed to arrive in Damascus on Monday evening, adding that it displayed a clear rejection of Abbas's position regarding the report of Richard Goldstone, the UN assigned judge to probe Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
The official Syrian news agency SANA had quoted a source in the foreign ministry as saying that his country was surprised at the Palestinian Authority's request for deferring a vote on Goldstone's report that incriminated Israel.
He said that the PA step had blocked Arab, Islamic and international efforts to adopt that report, which allows prosecution of Israeli war criminals at international courts.
The source affirmed that Damascus would continue to work with international concerned parties to adopt practical measures against the perpetrators of those crimes against humanity as indicated in the report.
He finally declared his country's support for the calls on UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to refer the report to the UN Security Council.
Abdallah's "surprise" visit to Damascus cancels Abbas's...or did it?
So it's a "surprise" visit? Funny.
"... The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the postponement came because of a "surprise" visit to Damascus by Saudi King Abdullah.
A report on Al-Jazeera television had earlier said Damascus postponed Abbas's trip in protest over the Palestinian delegation to the UN Human Rights Council dropping its support for an immediate vote on a damning report on the Gaza war.
But the official insisted the claim by the pan-Arab channel was not true. Abbas had been due to arrive in Damascus on Tuesday and hold talks with President Bashar al-Assad...."
Posted by G, Z, or B at 7:15 AM
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