Archiv: Antony Blinken


10.09.2024 - 20:10 [ U.S. State Department ]

Secretary Antony J. Blinken And United Kingdom Foreign Secretary David Lammy Joint Press Availability

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. Secretary, Mr. Foreign Secretary. Secretary Blinken, could I ask you about a couple of aspects on the Middle East? The Israel Defense Forces just a moment ago released an investigation, or released a preliminary – some preliminary findings to the death of an American citizen, Ms. Aysenur Eygi. Could you say – they said that she was killed most likely by Israeli fire, but unintentionally. Are you confident of that assessment? Does the United States want to see anything further? Are you confident with the assessment that this was unintentional, and what more do you want Israel to do? Could there be repercussions?

For both of you, could I ask you about the International Criminal Court? The – it seems that in the coming days there could be a formal decision on whether to seek an arrest warrant for Prime Minister Netanyahu, among others. Mr. Foreign Secretary, the Labor government, of course, has taken a slightly different stance from your predecessors, from the Conservatives, on this. Could you say what your position is, whether you support going ahead? And is there unity between the two allies on this? Thank you.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Shaun, thank you very much. With regard to the tragic killing of Aysenur, I think what we saw of this investigation is it seems to show what eyewitnesses have said and made clear: that her killing was both unprovoked and unjustified. No one – no one – should be shot and killed for attending a protest. No one should have to put their life at risk just for freely expressing their views.

In our judgment, Israeli security forces need to make some fundamental changes in the way that they operate in the West Bank, including changes to their rules of engagement. We’ve long seen reports of the security forces looking the other way when extremist settlers use violence against Palestinians. We’ve seen reports of excessive force by Israeli security forces against Palestinians. And now we have the second American citizen killed at the hands of Israeli security forces. It’s not acceptable. It has to change. And we’ll be making that clear to the senior-most members of the Israeli Government.

Now, we’re looking carefully at the results of this investigation, but even on an initial read and even accepting it at face value, it’s clear that there are serious issues that need to be dealt with. And we will insist that they be dealt with.

FOREIGN SECRETARY LAMMY: I think the important thing to stress in great democracies such as ours is our belief in the separation of powers. There is an important forum for lawyers and the judiciary and our courts, and then there is also an important forum for politicians and those who represent the people.

We’ve always been clear in the UK in our belief in the international rule of law, the rules-based order, and in IHL issues which are fundamentally important. And we took a decision last week in relation to arms exports that were quasi-legal on the basis of our law as they stand. We believe in international law, we believe in the Statute of Rome, but these must be decisions for the international courts to determine. I don’t want to comment on the assessment that they will reach. I’m qualified as a lawyer in part because of the great Harvard Law School. But I’m going to leave it to the lawyers to determine these very complex matters.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thank you.

FOREIGN SECRETARY LAMMY: Thanks a lot.

10.09.2024 - 19:50 [ CNN ]

Blinken slams Israel after IDF says its forces likely shot slain American activist

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has called for “fundamental changes” to the way Israeli forces operate in the occupied West Bank after the killing of American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi at a protest last week.

Blinken’s sharply worded rebuke came after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Tuesday that it was “highly likely” that Eygi was “hit indirectly and unintentionally by IDF fire.”

28.04.2024 - 08:20 [ Antiwar.com ]

US Won’t Sanction Israeli Military Units That Committed ‘Gross Human Rights Violations’

Blinken claimed that Tel Aviv had taken steps towards accountability and clarified the finding that five Israeli units committed “gross human rights violations” would have no impact on US aid to Israel.

The Israeli government has presented new information regarding the status of the unit and we will engage on identifying a path to effective remediation for this unit,” Blinken wrote.

19.04.2024 - 19:06 [ New York Times ]

Blinken says the U.S. has not been involved in ‘offensive operations’ in Iran.

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said on Friday that the United States “has not been involved in any offensive operations” in Iran when asked about Israel’s strike on the country on Friday, but he declined to comment further.

Mr. Blinken spoke on the last day of a meeting of Group of 7 ministers in Capri,

19.04.2024 - 03:25 [ United Nations ]

US vetoes Palestine’s request for full UN membership

In a vote of 12 in favour to one against, with two abstentions, the Council did not adopt a draft resolution that would have recommended the General Assembly to hold a vote with the broader UN membership to allow Palestine to join as a full UN Member State.

The draft resolution is among the shortest in the Council’s history: “The Security Council, having examined the application of the State of Palestine for admission to the United Nations (S/2011/592), recommends to the General Assembly that the State of Palestine be admitted to membership in the United Nations.”

06.04.2024 - 20:16 [ Middle East Eye ]

US says Israel is complying with international law. ‚Complete nonsense’, experts say

„Your – your question presumes, at this very early hour, that it was a deliberate strike, that they knew exactly what they were hitting, that they were hitting aid workers and did it on purpose. And there’s no evidence of that,“ Kirby told the reporter.

„I would also remind you, sir, that we continue to look at incidents as they occur. The State Department has a process in place. And to date, as you and I are speaking, they have not found any incidents where the Israelis have violated international humanitarian law.“

21.03.2024 - 21:41 [ Al Jazeera ]

With record of Gaza truce vetoes, US unveils new, ambiguous UN resolution

A copy of the new draft resolution, obtained by Al Jazeera, reads: “The Security Council determines the imperative of an immediate and sustained ceasefire to protect civilians on all sides, allow for the delivery of essential humanitarian assistance, and alleviate humanitarian suffering and towards that end unequivocally supports ongoing international diplomatic efforts to secure such a ceasefire in connection with the release of all remaining hostages.” (…)

No vote has yet been scheduled on this text.

21.03.2024 - 21:37 [ Axios ]

Blinken: U.S. submitted draft resolution to UN calling for Gaza ceasefire

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday the U.S. has submitted a draft resolution to the UN Security Council that calls „for an immediate ceasefire“ in Gaza that‘s „tied to the release“ of hostages held by Hamas.

26.02.2024 - 23:06 [ Shafaq.com ]

Kurdistan‘s PM: we are very proud to say that we are American allies

On Monday, the Kurdish Government revealed that Kurdish Prime Minister Masrour Barzani met with the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken at the headquarters of the US State Department in Washington.

Before the meeting, the two officials expressed in remarks reported by the Secretary of State the close ties between the two sides.

22.02.2024 - 20:04 [ theNationalnews.com ]

US says it cannot independently verify Israel‘s UNRWA claims

The intelligence report‘s findings are in stark contrast to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken‘s remarks in January, in which he said that the accusations against UNRWA were “highly, highly credible”.

The Journal also reported that Israel has not “shared the raw intelligence behind its assessments with the US” despite the strong security relationship between the two countries.

Israel has shared a dossier of sorts outlining its accusations, alongside details of where their evidence stems from, with the US and several western news organisations.

21.02.2024 - 14:58 [ WHEC.com ]

UN top court shouldn’t urge Israel to immediately withdraw from Palestinian-claimed lands, US says

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The United States said Wednesday the United Nations’ top court should not issue an advisory opinion that says Israel should “immediately and unconditionally withdraw” from territories sought for a Palestinian state.

Acting State Department legal adviser Richard Visek said the 15-judge panel at the International Court of Justice should not seek to resolve the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict “through an advisory opinion addressed to questions focusing on the acts of only one party.”

16.02.2024 - 17:12 [ US State Department ]

Travel to Albania and Germany, February 14-17, 2024

In Munich, Secretary Blinken will participate in the Munich Security Conference as part of the U.S. delegation led by Vice President Kamala Harris. The Secretary will hold bilateral meetings to underscore the United States’ enduring support for the people of Ukraine, continue discussions with partners on how to achieve lasting peace and security in the Middle East, and highlight our steadfast commitment to transatlantic security.

10.01.2024 - 09:44 [ Politico.eu ]

Germany holds its nose, paving the way for future jet fighter sale to Saudi Arabia

(08.01.2023)

The change was signaled by Green Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during a trip to Israel on Sunday.

10.01.2024 - 09:38 [ Middle East Eye ]

Saudi Arabia still interested in Israel normalisation after war on Gaza ends

Prince Khalid bin Bandar, the Saudi ambassador in London, told the BBC on Tuesday that a normalisation deal was „close“ but the kingdom paused US-brokered talks after the attack on Israel on 7 October by Hamas-led fighters.

„For us, the final end point definitely included nothing less than an independent state of Palestine,“ he said.

10.01.2024 - 09:32 [ US Außenministerium / US State Department ]

Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Al ‘Ula

The below is attributable to Spokesperson Matthew Miller:

30.12.2023 - 21:16 [ Justin Amash / Twitter ]

Congress, not the White House, is the legislative body of the United States. The Biden administration’s abuse of emergency authority to sell weapons to Israel—or any foreign country—is unrepresentative, irresponsible, and unethical.

30.12.2023 - 20:05 [ Leroy Green / Twitter ]

Where did Blinken get the authority to approve foreign aid packages? Where are the checks and balances? Why is Congress sitting idly by? This total mob rule.

30.12.2023 - 19:57 [ Associated Press ]

The Biden administration once again bypasses Congress on an emergency weapons sale to Israel

“Given the urgency of Israel’s defensive needs, the secretary notified Congress that he had exercised his delegated authority to determine an emergency existed necessitating the immediate approval of the transfer,” the department said.

30.11.2023 - 11:09 [ Times of Israel ]

Ben Gvir at Jerusalem attack scene: We must only speak to Hamas through military actions

“This type of incident proves again how much we can’t show weakness, how much we have to speak to Hamas only through intentions, only through the war,” he says, appearing to criticize the government’s ceasefire negotiations with the terror group.

30.11.2023 - 10:02 [ Times of Israel ]

Gantz says Jerusalem attack strengthens Israel’s resolve to keep up war on terror

“This terror attack is further proof of our obligation to continue to fight with strength and determination against murderous terrorism, which threatens our citizens. In Jerusalem, Gaza, in Judea and Samaria, and everywhere,” Gantz writes on X, using the biblical name for the West Bank.

30.11.2023 - 09:50 [ Times of Israel ]

Three killed, 6 injured in terror shooting at Jerusalem entrance bus stop

(Today, 9:31 am)

According to police, at around 7:40 a.m. two Palestinian gunmen got out of a vehicle on Weizman Street at the main entrance to the capital and opened fire at people at a bus stop.

Police said two off-duty soldiers and an armed civilian in the area returned fire, killing the two terrorists.

The attackers were named as brothers Murad Namr, 38, and Ibrahim Namr, 30, from East Jerusalem.

According to the Shin Bet security agency, the pair were Hamas members and previously jailed for terror activity.

30.11.2023 - 09:41 [ Washington Post ]

Blinken arrives in Israel as resumption of Gaza war looms

(November 29, 2023)

What began as a “bear hug” strategy of intense support by President Biden has become one in which U.S. officials, facing growing blowback at home and internationally, have distanced themselves from scorched-earth Israeli tactics and pushed for a more targeted battlefield approach.

For now, the U.S. effort includes pushing for an extension of the combat pause that began last week to enable the release of additional hostages held by Hamas. But although Blinken and other American officials in the region, including CIA Director William J. Burns, have advocated a longer pause, the administration continues to support the war’s eventual resumption and Israel’s overarching goal of dismantling Hamas, officials said.

28.11.2023 - 19:44 [ New Yorker ]

The Gaza-ification of the West Bank

(November 1, 2023)

And also just to be very clear, everything that I’ve been describing, all of these various mechanisms that the state has been using, are backed by Israeli courts, and backed by the Israeli legal system. This is not some random phenomena that is happening uniquely to a single unlucky community far from the eyes of the state. On the contrary, this is part of an ongoing Israeli state project of trying to push, to cleanse, as many Palestinians out of Area C, using all available state mechanisms in order to accomplish this goal. (…)

There are checkpoints. There are threats. And all this goes on for years. And yet somehow you managed to stay on the land and make a living and try to raise a family under these conditions. And that in and of itself is horrific and criminal and appalling, and also happens in broad daylight. Everything I’ve been talking about now and describing has been documented for years already by Palestinian, Israeli, and international human-rights organizations. But Israel never relented and never stopped because, as I said, it’s part of the state’s goal to accomplish that. What has escalated in recent weeks is that you have repeated reports of masked men showing up in the middle of the night. Armed, masked men.

Maybe they are settlers, maybe they’re soldiers, maybe they’re a mix. And they openly threaten the people in the community and tell them that they have twenty-four hours to leave, and if you say otherwise we would wipe you out.

11.11.2023 - 09:00 [ Fox News ]

Mike Pompeo says State Dept has an ‚AOC, Rashida Tlaib wing‘ after leaked memo blasts Biden‘s Israel policy

(November 7, 2023)

MIKE POMPEO: I wish I could tell you I‘m surprised, but having led that organization, the State Department, this is the AOC, Rashida Tlaib wing of the State Department. These are classic appeasers who don‘t understand that the Israelis are acting in self-defense. They are taking out a terror threat that killed 1,400 of their citizens. They have not only the right to do it, but an obligation to do it.

11.11.2023 - 08:39 [ Truthout.org/ ]

Dissenting Memo From State Dept Criticizes Biden Response to Israel’s Attacks

(November 7, 2023)

It’s unclear how many staffers in the department signed on to the memo, or whether it has been altered or amended since it was leaked, Politico reported. Dissenting memos are not uncommon — indeed, the department encourages such commentaries, and has a Dissent Channel set up for them — but it’s unusual for dissenting memos to be released publicly. Other dissenting memos relating to Israel’s recent actions are reportedly being discussed within the department.

09.11.2023 - 08:15 [ alKhaleejToday.co ]

US says Palestinians should govern Gaza after war

Nevin Al Sukari – Sana‘a – Palestinians should govern Gaza once Israel ends its war against Hamas, the United States said yesterday, pushing back against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s idea that Israel would be responsible for security indefinitely.

09.11.2023 - 08:06 [ ABC.net.au ]

‚Israel cannot reoccupy Gaza,‘ says Blinken, outlining vision for Palestinian rule

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has laid out the most detail to date about America‘s vision for a post-war two-state solution.

He said the „key elements“ should include:

– No forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza. „Not now, not after the war.“
– No use of Gaza as a platform for terrorism
– No reoccupation of Gaza after the war
– No attempt to blockade or besiege Gaza

04.11.2023 - 18:02 [ France24.com ]

Turkey recalls envoy to Israel, ‚writes off‘ Netanyahu

Palestinian ally Turkey had been mending torn relations with Israel until last month‘s start of the Israel-Hamas war.

But its tone hardened against both Israel and its Western supporters — particularly the United States — as the fighting escalated and the death toll among Palestinian civilians soared.

03.11.2023 - 10:40 [ BizPacReview.com ]

US troops in Gaza reportedly on the table if Israel eliminates Hamas

(November 1, 2023)

However, while testifying before a Senate panel on Tuesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken did indicate that the administration is definitely planning something.

“We can’t have a reversion to the status quo with Hamas running Gaza. We also can’t have — and the Israelis start with this proposition themselves — Israel running or controlling Gaza. Between those shoals are a variety of possible permutations that we’re looking at very closely now, as are other countries,” he said.

27.10.2023 - 21:05 [ Akbar Shahid Ahmed / Huffington Post ]

Biden Cast Doubt On Gaza’s Death Statistics — But Officials Cite Them Internally

(Oct 26, 2023)

The credibility of the ministry’s data is significant because there are few other sources of information about the situation in the blockaded region, and because some defenders of Israel’s actions in Gaza claim the ministry overstates the humanitarian toll of Israeli attacks for political reasons.

Most organizations and analysts tracking Gaza do treat the ministry as a reliable source, however, including the United Nations. The State Department has also publicly cited the ministry’s figures, for example in a report published earlier this year on the human rights situation in Israel-Palestine.

27.10.2023 - 20:56 [ Akbar Shahid Ahmed, Senior foreign affairs reporter @huffpost / Twitter ]

EXCLU: Biden yesterday questioned the death toll from Palestinians. I reviewed ~20 State Dept cables that cited the Gaza Health Ministry to report casualties & rarely included caveats. In one instance that did, the report said the toll was likely higher.

(26.10.2023)

15.10.2023 - 21:16 [ Times of Israel ]

Meeting Saudi crown prince, Blinken calls for pressure on Hamas to release hostages

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for pressure on Hamas during a meeting Sunday with the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, which seen its ties with the Jewish state warming but has put normalization on hold after the Palestinian terror group sparked war by launching an abrupt, devastating attack on Israel.

The top US diplomat met for nearly an hour in the early morning with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the royal’s farm residence in the Riyadh area, a US official said.

12.10.2023 - 14:21 [ Times of Israel ]

„Be careful“: Biden says he warned Iran regarding Gaza war, as Blinken heads to Israel

“We haven’t seen anything that tells they have specifically cut checks to support this set of attacks, or that they were involved in the training. And obviously, this required quite a bit of training by these terrorists,” White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters earlier Wednesday, though he added that the US will continue to look at the intelligence “and see if that leads us to a different conclusion.”

07.10.2023 - 05:15 [ Bloomberg ]

Turkey Urges US End Working With Kurds Amid Airstrikes on Syria

Turkey called on the US to stop working with Kurdish YPG militants in Syria, vowing to maintain its cross-border offensives against America’s Kurdish allies in Syria after the US shot down a Turkish drone in the region.

23.09.2023 - 09:14 [ Nachdenkseiten ]

Fake News von Tagesschau und Baerbock? – „Russischer Terrorangriff“ auf Marktplatz von Kostjantyniwka war laut New York Times wohl ukrainische Rakete

(19. September 2023)

Unter dem Titel „Beweise legen nahe, dass ukrainische Rakete die Markttragödie verursacht hat“ legt die NYT unter anderem dar:

„Die von der New York Times gesammelten und analysierten Beweise, darunter Raketensplitter, Satellitenbilder, Zeugenaussagen und Beiträge in den sozialen Medien, deuten jedoch stark darauf hin, dass der katastrophale Einschlag das Ergebnis einer fehlgeleiteten ukrainischen Luftabwehrrakete war, die von einem Buk-Raketensystem abgefeuert wurde.“

Weiter führt das Blatt aus:

„Die ukrainischen Behörden versuchten zunächst, Journalisten der Times den Zugang zu den Raketentrümmern und dem Einschlagsgebiet unmittelbar nach dem Einschlag zu verwehren. Doch schließlich gelang es den Reportern, an den Ort des Geschehens zu gelangen, Zeugen zu befragen und Überreste der eingesetzten Waffe zu sammeln.“

23.09.2023 - 09:06 [ New York Times ]

Evidence Suggests Ukrainian Missile Caused Market Tragedy

(Sept. 18, 2023)

But evidence collected and analyzed by The New York Times, including missile fragments, satellite imagery, witness accounts and social media posts, strongly suggests the catastrophic strike was the result of an errant Ukrainian air defense missile fired by a Buk launch system.

The attack appears to have been a tragic mishap.

10.09.2023 - 17:12 [ VietnamNews.vn ]

US President Joe Biden arrives in Hà Nội for State visit

US President Joe Biden arrived at Nội Bài International Airport in Hà Nội on Sunday afternoon, starting a two-day State visit to Việt Nam at the invitation of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee Nguyễn Phú Trọng.

06.09.2023 - 20:31 [ Interfax.com.ua ]

Blinken during visit to Kyiv: We see good progress on counteroffensive, we want to make sure Ukraine has what it needs

„We‘ve seen good progress on the counteroffensive (inaudible). We want to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs not only to succeed in the counteroffensive but has what it needs it for the long term to make sure that it has a strong deterrent, strong defense capacity so that, in the future, aggressions like this don‘t happen again,“ the U.S. Secretary of State said.

He also said the United States is determined to continue working with partners to restore a strong economy, strong democracy, „to ensure that Ukraine not only survives, but it thrives in the future.

06.09.2023 - 20:20 [ Interfax.com.ua ]

Death toll in Kostiantynivka rises to 17; search, rescue operation completed

The shelling of the central market in the city of Kostiantynivka (Donetsk region) by Russian occupiers on Wednesday killed 17 civilians, 32 people were injured, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said after the completion of the search and rescue operation.

19.08.2023 - 22:12 [ Arabnews.com ]

Saudi foreign minister receives phone call from US Secretary of State Saudi foreign minister receives phone call from US Secretary of State

Saudi foreign affairs minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan received a phone call from US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Friday.
The two officials discussed the importance of stopping military escalation and ending violence in Sudan during their telephone conversation, Saudi state news agency SPA reported.

19.06.2023 - 19:26 [ Washington Post / Youtube ]

Blinken holds presser at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing

Streamed live 6 hours ago
Secretary of State Antony Blinken holds a press conference at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.

19.06.2023 - 19:20 [ News.cn ]

Xi meets Blinken in Beijing

(today)

Xi pointed out that the vast expanse of the Earth is big enough to accommodate the respective development and common prosperity of China and the United States. The Chinese, like the Americans, are dignified, confident and self-reliant people, Xi said, adding that they both have the right to pursue a better life. „The common interests of the two countries should be valued, and their respective success is an opportunity instead of a threat to each other.“

Xi said the international community is generally concerned about the current state of China-U.S. relations. „It does not want to see conflict or confrontation between China and the United States or choose sides between the two countries, and it expects the two countries to coexist in peace and have friendly and cooperative relations.“

18.06.2023 - 13:33 [ US State Department ]

Secretary Blinken’s Trip to the People’s Republic of China and the United Kingdom

(14.06.2023)

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will travel to Beijing, the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and London, the United Kingdom, June 16-21.

30.05.2023 - 20:50 [ i24news.tv ]

Top Israeli official says ‘in a fog’ on U.S.-Saudi normalization talks

(today / May 30, 2023)

„I say this to be as clear as I can within the framework of the fog that exists for us, too,“ Hanegbi said. „We are not really aware, right now, of what is happening in the Saudi-American corridors.“

The Israeli official suggested that any new U.S. weapons to Riyadh would have to comply with Washington’s commitment to preserving an Israeli “qualitative military edge” in the region, and predicted that any Saudi civilian nuclear program would first have to clear U.S. counter-proliferation regulations.

30.05.2023 - 18:28 [ Sima Aharon / Nitter ]

Mr. @POTUS, Mr. @SecBlinken this week @netanyahu sending to Washington Tzachi Hanegbi – Head of the NSC and Ron Dermer – Minister of Strategic Affairs of Israel. SAME Dermer who organized Bibi‘s speech in Congress behind President Obama‘s back!

(28.03.2023)

30.05.2023 - 18:09 [ yidinfo.net ]

Yossi Cohen, a former head of the Mossad, said normalization with Saudi Arabia “is definitely possible”

Saudi Arabia is reportedly demanding that the White House unfreeze some weapons deals from the Trump administration that were put on hold when US President Joe Biden took office.

Saudi Arabia is also reportedly seeking a defense treaty with the US, akin to NATO, and US approval for a civilian nuclear program in exchange for full normalization with Israel.

28.05.2023 - 12:46 [ JNS.org ]

Dermer, Hanegbi to travel to DC for talks on Iran, Saudi-Israel peace

(May 25, 2023)

Addressing reports that Iran is building a nuclear facility deep enough underground to withstand U.S. “bunker buster” bombs, Hanegbi said at Herzliya Conference 2023 at Reichman University on Tuesday:

“It’s not a surprising thing. It’s the Iranian approach to move facilities underground to maintain their immunity. This of course limits the ability to attack, but what can be said is that there is no place that cannot be reached.”

27.05.2023 - 08:48 [ Times of Israel ]

Report: Saudis want US alliance, nuclear program in exchange for deal with Israel

(23 May 2023)

The report says that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan are leading the negotiations for the US and the head of the Mossad chief David Barnea is representing Israel in “intensive” talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.

06.05.2023 - 23:01 [ Washington Post ]

The U.S. warms to a role for China in resolving the Ukraine war

(May 3, 2023)

When I asked Blinken about working with China to achieve a stable outcome in Ukraine, he gave a surprisingly frank answer: “In principle, there’s nothing wrong with that if we have a country, whether it’s China or other countries that have significant influence that are prepared to pursue a just and durable peace. … We would welcome that, and it’s certainly possible that China would have a role to play in that effort. And that could be very beneficial.”

Blinken said there were some “positive” items in the 12-point peace plan that China announced in February.

19.04.2023 - 10:14 [ Sudan Tribune ]

Sudanese army declines calls for humanitarian ceasefire

(18.04.2023)

RSF leader early on Tuesday posted a tweet announcing his approval for a 24-hour cessation of hostilities to establish a humanitarian corridor to evacuate wounded civilians.

The announcement of the ceasefire by the RSF come after a telephone call Mohamed Hamdan Daglo “Hemetti” received from US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to propose a humanitarian ceasefire.