Tunisia Live Blog

8 weeks 4 days ago - Tunisia

Foreign ministers from Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, meeting in Tunis said Friday the Syrian crisis should be resolved in an
"Arab framework" and opposed foreign military intervention in the country.


"We are all against military intervention in Syria, and we want the problem to be resolved in an Arab framework," Tunisian Foreign Minister Rafik Abdessalem said after meeting with his Egyptian and Libyan counterparts, Mohamed Amr and Ashur bin Khayyal.

"The bloodbath in Syria must be stopped," he added as thousands of Syrians demonstrated Friday to demand "immediate military intervention" by Arab and Muslim countries to end the brutal crackdown that began more than a year ago.


The ministers whose countries toppled dictators in last year's Arab Spring also discussed security and judicial issues.


"The revolutions in our countries have brought us closer together," Abdessalem said, adding: "We need to share our experiences."

The three issued a joint statement pledging to step up the fight against terrorism, organised crime and drug trafficking.


They also agreed to greater judicial cooperation, notably concerning extradition requests for individuals "who represent a danger for the security and stability of our three countries."

Tags egypt, Libya, syria
11 weeks 4 days ago - Tunisia

Arab and Western nations in Tunisia for the first "Friends of Syria" meeting called Friday for an immediate end to violence in the country and new sanctions on the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

In a final declaration, the group called for Syria's government to "immediately cease all violence" to allow humanitarian access and "committed to take steps to apply and enforce restrictions and sanctions on the regime."

Tags Bashar al Assad, Friends of Syria, syria
11 weeks 4 days ago - Tunisia

Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr reports from Tunis, where diplomats are meeting in a bid to reach an agreement on how to deal with the Syrian crisis. 

She says there are two opposing views - some countries support foreign intervention while others want further efforts to reach a political solution.

Tags syria, Video, Zeina Khodr
11 weeks 4 days ago - Tunisia
France's top diplomat says the European Union will freeze the assets of Syria's central bank at its meeting Monday.
 
Foreign Minister Alain Juppe made the announcement at a conference being held in Tunisia Friday to pressure the Syrian regime to end a violent crackdown on the opposition.
 
Juppe told the delegates in the closed session that the EU was planning on implementing "strong new measures" in its meeting Monday including "freezing the assets" of the bank.
 
The comments were later released.
 
The conference features delegates from more than 60 countries. Officials have also said that a joint UN-Arab League peacekeeping force will be planned for the country.
Tags European Union, sanctions, syria
11 weeks 4 days ago - Tunisia

Giving weapons to the Syrian opposition facing a violent crackdown by government forces is an excellent idea, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said on Friday.

Asked at the start of a bilateral meeting in the Tunisian capital with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton if he thought arming the Syrian opposition was a good idea, the Saudi minister said: "I think it's an excellent idea."

Asked why, he said: "Because they have to protect themselves." 

Tags Friends of Syria, Saud al Faisal, Saudi Arabia, syria
11 weeks 4 days ago - Tunisia

Saudi Arabia's delegation walked out of a "Friends of Syria" meeting in Tunis on Friday over what it saw as the gathering's "inactivity", Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television said, but a Saudi official said it had only left to attend bilateral talks.

The television station said Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal left the meeting after saying in a speech that focusing on humanitarian aid to Syria was "not enough".

Asked about the report, an aide to the Saudi foreign minister told Reuters: "We left to attend bilateral meetings" on the sidelines of the "Friends of Syria" conference.

Tags Friends of Syria, Saud al Faisal, Saudi Arabia, syria
11 weeks 4 days ago - Tunisia

Our correspondent Zeina Khodr reports from the "Friends of Syria" meeting in Tunis:

ZeinakhodrAljazDozens of Pro- #Assad supporters many of them Tunisians protest outside #FriendsofSyria meeting in #TunisiaFri Feb 24 14:19:11 2012
Tags syria, Zeina Khodr
11 weeks 4 days ago - France

Alain Juppe, the French foreign minister, described the Syrian National Council (SNC) on Friday as "the legitimate representative"of the country's opposition, as he arrived for an international meeting in Tunisia.

"We consider the SNC as the legitimate representative of the Syrian opposition... the pole around which the opposition must organise," he said, as he also "solemnly" urged Syria to allow for the evacuation of wounded journalists in Homs.

Tags Alain Juppe, Friends of Syria, syria, tunisia
11 weeks 4 days ago - Syria

The Syrian National Council, the opposition movement based outside of Syria, has urged the "Friends of Syria" participants to support the armed group, Free Syrian Army, and all forms of popular resistance, Reuters news agency has reported.

"If the regime fails to accept the terms of the political initiative outlined by the Arab League and end violence against citizens, the Friends of Syria should not constrain individual countries from aiding the Syrian opposition by means of military advisers, training and provision of arms to defend themselves," the SNC said in a seven-point statement of demands to the international meeting in Tunis.

Tags Free Syrian Army, Friends of Syria, SNC, tunisia
11 weeks 4 days ago - Syria

Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr tweets live from the "Friends of Syria" Conference in Tunisia.

ZeinakhodrAljaz#SNC : #FriendsofSyria shouldn't constrain individual countries from aiding armed opposition #SyriaFri Feb 24 10:54:44 2012
Tags Friends of Syria, SNC, tunisia
Content on this website is for general information purposes only. Your comments are provided by your own free will and you take sole responsibility for any direct or indirect liability. You hereby provide us with an irrevocable, unlimited, and global license for no consideration to use, reuse, delete or publish comments, in accordance with Community Rules & Guidelines and Terms and Conditions.

Al Jazeera Live

What's Hot


Recent Comments

This work is licensed under Creative Commons. Please read our attribution policy.