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Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Peace Talks Open on Syria



Friction and acrimony broke out almost immediately on Wednesday with the start of a long-delayed peace conference on Syria, punctuated by a testy exchange between the Syrian foreign minister and the leader of the United Nations, casting doubt on the prospects for easing hostilities or even opening up emergency aid corridors to help besieged civilians. The conference of delegates representing some 30 countries in the lakeside Swiss city of Montreux, already troubled by last-minute diplomatic stumbles, was described by Secretary of State John Kerry as a test for the international community. But the meeting had barely begun when the atmosphere grew even more charged over divisions between the United States and Russia and especially among the Syrians themselves.

READ MORE:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/23/world/middleeast/syria.html


The bell ran five times during Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem's speech on Wednesday at the opening session of the Syrian peace conference, signaling he had exceeded the time limit. But al-Moallem refused to stop, setting off a tense exchange with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that showed the tensions in trying to resolve Syria's bloody conflict.

 Here's the exchange: http://www.smh.com.au/world/syrias-foreign-minister-clashes-with-un-secretary-general-ban-kimoon-at-peace-conference-20140123-hv9hz.html#ixzz2r9xOWSid

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