French President Nicolas Sarkozy warned against the possibility of Israeli military strikes on nuclear-minded Iran at a dinner hosted by France's main Jewish group on Wednesday, which Socialist leader Francois Hollande also attended.
Should the West call Russia’s bluff and let Moscow go ahead and sponsor talks between Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian opposition? How might the crisis in Syria eventually play out? Douglas Herbert asks Julien Barnes-Dacey, Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.
Tanks from Syria’s security forces pushed deeper into the city of Homs Wednesday, continuing to crackdown on the restive city just a day after Russia’s foreign minister said he found President Bashar al-Assad “committed” to ending the bloodshed.
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman met for talks with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington Tuesday amid speculation that Israel is considering a military solution to international concerns over Iran's nuclear programme.
France joined Britain, Spain, Italy and Belgium in recalling its ambassador to Syria, Eric Chevallier (far right), "for consultations" on Tuesday. A foreign ministry spokesman cited Syria's "worsening repression" in announcing the move.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (pictured) said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is "fully committed" to ending a violent crackdown on protests after talks Tuesday in Damascus. Homs residents say the city continues to be hit by artillery.
Syria is still in the spotlight - we look at what Sergei Lavrov might be saying to Bashar al-Assad later, and Asma al-Assad's first appearance in the international press for 11 months. There's also reaction to the agreement on a unity government between Fatah and Hamas.
The United States has closed its embassy in Damascus and recalled all diplomatic personnel amid persistent security concerns, US officials said Monday. Britain also recalled its ambassador to Syria "for consultations" on Monday.
China on Monday defended its veto of a United Nations draft resolution calling on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to leave power, on the grounds that last year’s resolution on Libya led to foreign interference that went beyond its mandate.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sunday echoed the French president’s call for "friends of Syria" nations to squeeze the regime in Damascus after Russia and China vetoed a UN resolution on the unrest. Clinton called the veto a "travesty".
