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WAR REPORT
Tripoli parliament rejects Libya peace plan, wants more talks
by Staff Writers
Tripoli (AFP) July 7, 2015


US House approves closer military ties with Jordan
Washington (AFP) July 7, 2015 - US lawmakers on Tuesday approved legislation that would ramp up military cooperation with Jordan, including accelerated arms sales to a Middle East ally contending with growing threats from Islamist extremism.

Jordan has become a focal point in the fight against the self-described Islamic State because the Hashemite kingdom borders Syria and Iraq, two nations where large swathes of land have been claimed by IS extremists.

US forces are training a small group of vetted Syrian rebels in Jordan. A Jordanian pilot captured by IS in December was burned alive on video, in one of the jihadist group's most brutal executions.

The House of Representatives passed the bill by voice vote and it now heads to the Senate for consideration.

House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Ed Royce said the measure sends a "strong message of support" to a critical partner at a vital time.

"Jordan sits on the front lines of the fight against ISIS (IS) and a refugee crisis in Syria where millions have been displaced," Royce said.

"As a longtime key partner for peace and security in the region, it is important the US support Jordan as it confronts these security challenges."

House Speaker John Boehner, who visited Jordan in March, added that the legislation would "strengthen our ties with King Abdullah, a good friend and solid partner in the region."

The measure adds Jordan, for a period of three years, to a list of countries that benefit from "expeditious consideration" of contracts for US arms exports, benefits currently provided to members of the NATO alliance along with Australia, Israel, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea.

In February Washington announced its intention to increase overall US assistance to Jordan from $660 million to $1 billion annually for the 2015-2017 period.

According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, as of June there were 629,000 registered Syrian refugees in Jordan, most of whom live outside refugee camps.

The parliament in Tripoli rejected Tuesday a UN proposal to resolve Libya's political crisis but said it wanted to press on with talks toward reaching an accord with its rival in the east of the country.

Plunged into chaos after the 2011 overthrow of dictator Moamer Kadhafi, Libya has two parliaments and governments vying for power, one in Tripoli and one in the eastern port city of Tobruk, which is recognised by the international community.

On June 29, delegations from both sides headed home from the Moroccan resort of Skhirat after holding their first direct talks in months but failed to agree on UN proposals for a united government.

UN envoy Bernardino Leon had appealed to them to endorse his proposals for a merged administration to tackle a growing jihadist presence in the North African nation, which has cast a shadow over its neighbours, especially Tunisia.

Omar Hamidan, spokesman for Tripoli's General National Congress, said "this draft accord is not the satisfactory state (necessary) for us to initial it."

The GNC called on the UN envoy to "reopen the debate," and said its team was "ready to head (to the table of) dialogue immediately, once a date is decided, to "discuss modifications the GNC wants to introduce in the text."

Among these are a called for "respecting the judiciary," a possible reference to a Supreme Court decision invalidating the parliament in the east, which was elected in June 2014.

The GNC is close to Fajr Libya, an alliance of Islamist militias that controls the capital, and which called the proposal a betrayal of those who "fought for the liberation of Libya and the preservation of its sovereignty".

A surge of jihadist violence across the region, including the killing of 38 people, most of them British tourists, at a Tunisian beach resort last month, has prompted mounting international pressure for a deal.

Colombia conflict needs 'urgent de-escalation': mediators
Havana (AFP) July 7, 2015 - Four countries supporting peace talks between the Colombian government and FARC rebels called Tuesday for an "urgent de-escalation" of armed conflict in the South American nation.

The appeal comes after clashes resumed in mid-April, following an ambush by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) that left 11 soldiers dead. Each side blames the other for the escalation.

Cuba and Norway are acting as so-called "guarantor" countries in the peace talks that began in November 2012. Chile and Venezuela are acting as "escort" countries.

"We urge the parties to strictly restrict any actions that cause victims or suffering in Colombia, and to step up the implementation of confidence-building measures," Norway representative Idun Aarak Tvedt said in a statement to journalists.

"We consider these steps to be essential in order to guarantee the conditions for and create a climate conducive to achieving agreement."

Despite the appeal two soldiers were killed, two wounded and a fifth reported missing in southern Colombia Tuesday following attacks that were believed to have been carried out by the FARC.

The group's chief negotiator, Ivan Marquez, welcomed the appeal.

He accused government forces of stepping up attacks on rebel camps while the guerrillas were observing a unilateral truce, which they ended in May after five months of relative calm.

Since then, about 30 rebels have been killed in army operations and recent surveys show the public to be wary about the peace process.

Colombia's civil strife dates back to 1964 and has drawn in left-wing guerrillas, right-wing paramilitaries and drug gangs, killing more than 220,000 people and uprooting as many as six million.

Despite the renewed bloodshed the Colombian government said for the first time Saturday that it was potentially open to a bilateral ceasefire.

So far, the two sides have agreed on three points of a six-point agenda for the peace process.


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WAR REPORT
FARC negotiator demands strong gestures from Colombia president
Havana (AFP) July 6, 2015
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos must make strong gestures to avoid another half-century of conflict in the South American nation, a commander for the FARC rebel group told AFP. Peace talks in Havana aimed at ending the conflict between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have been threatened in recent weeks by renewed bloodshed. Rebel commander Pas ... read more


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