Kaitlin Funaro
Global Post
Syria calls Egypt's severing of ties a US-Israeli conspiracy
Syria is lashing out against Egypt's decision to sever ties with Damascus and back the armed uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's government.
The Syrian government said that Egypt's decision to cut ties with Damascus is an "irresponsible" move led by pressure from the US and Israel.
Egyptian President Muhammad Morsi on Saturday announced "definitive" plans to cut diplomatic ties with Syria and close its embassy in Damascus.
Morsi also called for a "no fly" zone over Syria.
A Syrian government official quoted in state media on Sunday said, "the Syrian Arab Republic condemns this irresponsible position."
The official told SANA that Morsi had joined the "conspiracy and incitement led by the United States and Israel against Syria by announcing the cutting of ties yesterday".
"Syria is confident that this decision does not represent the will of the Egyptian people," the official added.
Egypt made the decision to sever ties amid growing pressure from Sunni clerics to launch a "holy war" against Assad's regime.
The BBC reports that Sunni clerics from several Arab countries met in Cairo on Thursday and issued a statement calling for "jihad to help our brothers in Syria by sending them money and arms".
"The flagrant aggression of the Iranian regime, of Hezbollah and of their sectarian allies in Syria amounts to a declaration of war against Islam and Muslims," the statement went on.
Morsi also demanded that the Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah withdraw from the fighting in Syria, where its members are assisting Assad's army fight the rebels.
In Egypt, CBS News' Alex Ortiz reports that the Syrian flag still flies over the Embassy in Cairo, for now.
Around 50 Syrian citizens were gathered outside the embassy on Sunday morning, Ortiz reported. Embassy staff or security from inside are calling out names of the Syrians who have come to retrieve their passports, according to CBS. o �@ us�/� m+ Russians whether there’s a way to bring together elements of the regime and the opposition to achieve a political settlement. We have no illusions that that’s going to be easy,” he added.
While the Syrian crisis will overshadow much of the summit agenda, there are many other topics up for discussion, including economic reform, trade and the fight against terrorism.
Obama is expected to defend his administration’s phone and internet surveillance programs as vital counterterrorism tools. “He’ll be able to discuss with the other leaders the importance of these programs in terms of our counterterrorism efforts in particular, the constraints and safeguards that we place on these programs so that they have oversight against potential abuses,” Rhodes said.
“And all of these countries at the G-8 are important counterterrorism partners. And together we’ve worked with them on an intelligence and security relationship to foil terrorist attacks in the United States and in Europe, and of course Russia shares a significant counterterrorism interest with us as well,” he said.
In addition to participating in a series of high-level meetings, the president will also deliver a major address in Northern Ireland at the Belfast Waterfront Convention Center. This will be the president’s first opportunity to address at length the support that the U.S. has provided to the peace process in Northern Ireland and to the development of its economy.
After two days of summit meetings, the president will travel to Berlin, where he will meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Joachim Gauck, and deliver a major address at the historic Brandenburg Gate.
The short three-day trip to Europe will be also a family affair for the president. The first lady and daughters Sasha and Malia will be joining him.
Mrs. Obama and her daughters will attend the president’s speech in Belfast and then break off to travel to Dublin, while the president is busy with summit meetings. There, they will tour Trinity College, Ireland’s oldest university and “explore the archives that they’ve gathered to document the Obamas’ Irish ancestry,” Rhodes explained.
The first family will reunite in Berlin.
Syria is lashing out against Egypt's decision to sever ties with Damascus and back the armed uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's government.
The Syrian government said that Egypt's decision to cut ties with Damascus is an "irresponsible" move led by pressure from the US and Israel.
Egyptian President Muhammad Morsi on Saturday announced "definitive" plans to cut diplomatic ties with Syria and close its embassy in Damascus.
Morsi also called for a "no fly" zone over Syria.
A Syrian government official quoted in state media on Sunday said, "the Syrian Arab Republic condemns this irresponsible position."
The official told SANA that Morsi had joined the "conspiracy and incitement led by the United States and Israel against Syria by announcing the cutting of ties yesterday".
"Syria is confident that this decision does not represent the will of the Egyptian people," the official added.
Egypt made the decision to sever ties amid growing pressure from Sunni clerics to launch a "holy war" against Assad's regime.
The BBC reports that Sunni clerics from several Arab countries met in Cairo on Thursday and issued a statement calling for "jihad to help our brothers in Syria by sending them money and arms".
"The flagrant aggression of the Iranian regime, of Hezbollah and of their sectarian allies in Syria amounts to a declaration of war against Islam and Muslims," the statement went on.
Morsi also demanded that the Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah withdraw from the fighting in Syria, where its members are assisting Assad's army fight the rebels.
In Egypt, CBS News' Alex Ortiz reports that the Syrian flag still flies over the Embassy in Cairo, for now.
Around 50 Syrian citizens were gathered outside the embassy on Sunday morning, Ortiz reported. Embassy staff or security from inside are calling out names of the Syrians who have come to retrieve their passports, according to CBS. o �@ us�/� m+ Russians whether there’s a way to bring together elements of the regime and the opposition to achieve a political settlement. We have no illusions that that’s going to be easy,” he added.
While the Syrian crisis will overshadow much of the summit agenda, there are many other topics up for discussion, including economic reform, trade and the fight against terrorism.
Obama is expected to defend his administration’s phone and internet surveillance programs as vital counterterrorism tools. “He’ll be able to discuss with the other leaders the importance of these programs in terms of our counterterrorism efforts in particular, the constraints and safeguards that we place on these programs so that they have oversight against potential abuses,” Rhodes said.
“And all of these countries at the G-8 are important counterterrorism partners. And together we’ve worked with them on an intelligence and security relationship to foil terrorist attacks in the United States and in Europe, and of course Russia shares a significant counterterrorism interest with us as well,” he said.
In addition to participating in a series of high-level meetings, the president will also deliver a major address in Northern Ireland at the Belfast Waterfront Convention Center. This will be the president’s first opportunity to address at length the support that the U.S. has provided to the peace process in Northern Ireland and to the development of its economy.
After two days of summit meetings, the president will travel to Berlin, where he will meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Joachim Gauck, and deliver a major address at the historic Brandenburg Gate.
The short three-day trip to Europe will be also a family affair for the president. The first lady and daughters Sasha and Malia will be joining him.
Mrs. Obama and her daughters will attend the president’s speech in Belfast and then break off to travel to Dublin, while the president is busy with summit meetings. There, they will tour Trinity College, Ireland’s oldest university and “explore the archives that they’ve gathered to document the Obamas’ Irish ancestry,” Rhodes explained.
The first family will reunite in Berlin.
