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Syria: a powder keg with echoes of Sarajevo 1914
Who could have predicted that the assassination of Austria’s Archduke Franz Ferdinand would be the spark to ignite world war one? Does Syria carry the same carry potential?
Thirteen Islamist rebel groups issue a statement rejecting the Syrian National Coalition, in a major blow to western hopes of guiding a moderate new leadership to power.
Syria’s deputy prime minister says that neither side in the country’s civil war is capable of winning a military victory – and that the government would call for a ceasefire.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says he is committed to destroying his country’s chemical weapons but it will take about a year to do so.
Syria insists Bashar al-Assad is a “legitimate” president, as Russia says it opposes any “use of force” clause in a UN resolution to put his chemical weapons under international control.
Karen Abuzayd from the UN war crimes panel investigating 14 suspected chemical weapons sites across Syria tells Channel 4 News both sides have committed war crimes.
A UN inspectors’ report into the Damascus chemical weapons attack in August says there is “clear and convincing evidence” that sarin was used.
US Secretary of State John Kerry says any deal over Syria’s chemical weapons is not a “lifeline” to President Bashar al-Assad, whose regime has “lost all legitimacy”.
The Syrian government welcomes the agreement to disarm their chemical weapons but the US warns Syria that it will take action if it fails to live up to its promises.
Who could have predicted that the assassination of Austria’s Archduke Franz Ferdinand would be the spark to ignite world war one? Does Syria carry the same carry potential?
Monday’s UN inspectors’ report on the alleged chemical weapons attack outside Damascus will confirm that poison gas was used, according to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
At least 169 people, including women and children, were killed in a massacre in the Syrian town of al-Bayda earlier this year. Warning: this exclusive video contains extremely distressing footage.
President Vladimir Putin has a number of guises – from ace fisherman to chopper pilot. His moves on Syria this week have only bolstered that fearsome self-image – and his ambitions for Russia.
The plan to hand Syria’s weapons over to international control has no chance of success, but it has achieved one thing – buying global leaders some time.
Vladimir Putin appeals directly to the nation in a US paper, calling on the American public to steer clear of “brute force” in Syria, as the Russian foreign minister prepares to meet with John Kerry.
One reason why Russia opposes US intervention in Syria is that it could make a bad situation worse. And from a Russian viewpoint, instability is a far greater worry than injustice or cruelty.