News archive: April 2014
25 April 2014
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon accuses all parties in Syria’s civil war of obstructing the delivery of aid to civilians and urges the Security Council to take action to implement Resolution S/RES/2139 concerning Syria.
The UN Security Council resolution, that was unanimously approved in February, states that both Syrian government and opposition forces must allow aid convoys to reach civilians across the country. (more…)
Source: BBC | All parties in Syria blocking aid, say Ban Ki-moon
Source: BBC | Syria crisis: UN Security Council agrees aid resolution
24 April 2014
On 23 April, the Chinese Foreign Ministry informed Reuters that it was investigating reports that a chlorine canister with the name of China’s largest arms producer, Norinco, on it was shown in a video that presumably documents a chlorine bomb attack in Syria earlier this month. Reuters reported that it could not verify the authenticity of the video, which was uploaded by opposition activists. On the basis of the characteristics of several attacks in Syria this month, analysts believe that a coordinated chlorine bomb campaign is taking place, with growing evidence that it is carried out by the Syrian government. (more…)
Source: Reuters | China says probing reports Chinese chlorine used in Syria attack
23 April 2014
US President Obama is expected to announce an agreement with the Philippines, that would offer American ships and planes the most extensive access to bases in the region, since 1992, when the US relinquished its naval installation at Subic Bay. The agreement would be the centerpiece of Obama’s visit to Asia this week.
The New York Times reports that such an agreement could antagonise China, which is locked in a dispute with the Philippines over Scarborough Shoal, a fishing ground now occupied by Chinese vessels. Like the 2011 agreement to deploy Marines to Darwin, Australia, such a presence would theoretically give America more capacity to help its allies in territorial disputes with the Chinese.
(more…)
Source: The New York Times | Obama’s Strategic Shift to Asia Is Hobbled by Pressure at Home and Crises Abroad
22 April 2014
In response to Australia’s policy of returning boatloads of refugees back to Indonesia, the Indonesian government called on other states to stop ‘shifting responsibility’ for asylum-seekers. Asylum-seekers often use Indonesia as a transit state to cross over to Australia, and with the Australian policy of returning asylum-seekers before they touch Australian soil has forced Indonesia to take on the burden of these asylum seekers. During an international meeting in Jakarta regarding asylum-seekers, Indonesian Foreign Minister, Marty Natalegawa, stated that the commitments made by states at a conference last year regarding asylum-seekers ‘confirmed our shared responsibility – shared responsibility, not (the) shifting of responsibility. Shared responsibility requires coordination and cooperation.’
Source: The Jakarta Post | Indonesia speaks out on boatpeople amid Australia tension
21 April 2014
On 16 April, the United Nations Security Council marked the 20th anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda and adopted a resolution that calls on the international community to recommit to prevent and combat such grave crimes. During the special meeting UN Deputy Secretary-General, Jan Eliasson, emphasised that present-day conflicts reveal that the protection of peoples suffering from atrocities is still ‘lagging and elusive.’ Eliasson called on all states to meet their responsibility to prevent genocide and other severe crimes, to protect and promote human rights, and to reinforce diversity and civil society. (more…)
Source: UN News Centre | Rwandan genocide: Security Council told failure of political will led to ‘cascade of human tragedy’