May 17, 2013 by RFE/RL UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in the southern Russian city of Sochi for talks centered on the crisis in Syria. At a press conference following their meeting, Ban said it is crucial not to lose momentum in the process of responding to the [...]

RIA Novosti 15:00 17/05/2013 SOCHI, May 17 (RIA Novosti) – Russia hopes that the Syrian authorities and the UN will agree on international inspections to look into the possible use of chemical weapons in the country’s civil war, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday. “As far we know, the Syrian government… has expressed readiness [...]

17 May 2013 – Stressing that a political solution is the only way to end the Syria crisis, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today that an international conference proposed by Russia and the United States should be held as soon as possible so as not to lose momentum. “It is my sincere hope that we can [...]

May 17, 2013 by VOA News United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is in Russia, where he has said it is important not to “lose momentum” in talks on setting up a peace conference on Syria next month. Ban told reporters Friday that momentum gained by recent talks between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and [...]

Iran Press TV Fri May 17, 2013 4:57AM GMT The director of the US spy agency CIA has visited the occupied Palestinian territories to discuss the situation in Syria with Israeli officials. An unnamed Israeli official said John Brennan arrived in Tel Aviv on Thursday and went straight into a meeting with Israeli Minister for [...]

RIA Novosti 08:08 17/05/2013 SEOUL, May 17 (RIA Novosti) – North Korea may have up to 200 mobile missile launchers, or twice the number previously estimated by South Korea’s authorities, South Korean media reported Friday. South Korea’s state-run Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA) said that in line with a report submitted to the US [...]

Office of the SpokespersonWashington, DC May 16, 2013 The Department of State has designated al-Nusrah Front leader Muhammad al-Jawlani as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, which targets terrorists and those providing support to terrorists or acts of terrorism. As a result of the designation, all property subject to U.S. jurisdiction [...]

Office of the SpokespersonWashington, DC May 16, 2013 The Department of State has designated al-Nusrah Front leader Muhammad al-Jawlani as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, which targets terrorists and those providing support to terrorists or acts of terrorism. As a result of the designation, all property subject to U.S. jurisdiction [...]

May 16, 2013 by Dan Robinson President Barack Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan say the U.S. and Turkey are determined to see Syrian President Bashar al-Assad leave to pave the way for a political transition. In a news conference following bilateral talks, both leaders downplayed differences over Syria, underscoring the importance of [...]

May 16, 2013 by Dan Robinson President Barack Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan say the U.S. and Turkey are determined to see Syrian President Bashar al-Assad leave to pave the way for a political transition. In a news conference following bilateral talks, both leaders downplayed differences over Syria, underscoring the importance of [...]

The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release May 16, 2013 Joint Press Conference by President Obama and Prime Minister Erdogan of Turkey Rose Garden 12:48 P.M. EDT PRESIDENT OBAMA: Please be seated, everybody. Good afternoon. It is a great pleasure to welcome my friend, Prime Minister Erdogan, back to the White [...]

The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release May 16, 2013 Joint Press Conference by President Obama and Prime Minister Erdogan of Turkey Rose Garden 12:48 P.M. EDT PRESIDENT OBAMA: Please be seated, everybody. Good afternoon. It is a great pleasure to welcome my friend, Prime Minister Erdogan, back to the White [...]

May 16, 2013 by VOA News Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to press the United States to take a more active role in response to the situation in Syria as he meets Thursday with President Barack Obama at the White House. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said the leaders will discuss [...]

The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release May 16, 2013 Fact Sheet: U.S.-Turkey Partnership The United States and Turkey share a strong partnership and friendship, rooted in common values and strategic interests, and reinforced by the enduring links between the people of both countries. The United States is firmly committed to [...]

The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release May 16, 2013 Op-Ed by President Obama: A Partnership That Delivers The piece was published today in Turkish by Turkish Daily “Sabah” and can be found here. The full English text of the op-ed by President Obama is printed below. A Partnership That Delivers [...]

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK via Korea News Service (KNS) Pyongyang, May 15 (KCNA) — Pae Jun Ho, an American citizen, started his life at a “special prison” on Tuesday. Pae was sentenced to 15 years’ hard labor for his anti-DPRK crime, an attempt to topple the DPRK, at the trial held on April [...]

May 15, 2013 by VOA News North Korea says an American citizen sentenced to 15 years of hard labor has begun serving his sentence. The Korean Central News Agency said Kenneth Bae “started his life at a ‘special prison’ Tuesday.” It did not elaborate. The 44-year-old Korean-American tour operator was found guilty last month of [...]

RIA Novosti 22:53 15/05/2013 SEOUL, May 15 (RIA Novosti) – North Korea on Wednesday effectively dismissed Seoul’s proposal for negotiations on removal of production materials and finished goods from the two nations’ jointly-run Kaesong Industrial Complex, the Yonhap news agency said. “We (North Korea) remind (the South) again that the future of the Kaesong complex [...]

May 15, 2013 by Steve Herman Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has refused to comment on the nature of the Japanese delegation’s visit to North Korea. But he told a parliamentary committee Wednesday he is open to the possibility of meeting North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un to resolve outstanding issues between the two nations, [...]

May 15, 2013 by VOA News The top U.S. envoy on North Korea said China has indicated it will continue to implement U.N. sanctions against North Korea. Glyn Davies made the remark after meeting in Beijing Wednesday with his Chinese counterpart, Wu Dawei, and other officials. He said China is seeking to convey messages to [...]

Navy News Service Story Number: NNS130514-11 5/14/2013 From Naval Air Systems Command Public Affairs USS GEORGE H.W. BUSH, at sea (NNS) — The X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System demonstrator (UCAS-D) completed its first ever carrier-based catapult launch from USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) off the coast of Virginia today. “Today we saw a small, [...]

RIA Novosti 17:58 14/05/2013 SOCHI, May 14 (RIA Novosti) – Russia and Israel will continue cooperation in an effort to resolve the situation in Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday following talks with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “We agreed to continue contacts – both on the personal level and between our organizations, [...]

RIA Novosti 21:47 14/05/2013 MOSCOW, May 14 (Alexey Eremenko, RIA Novosti) – If fresh media reports are true, Russia, Syria’s longtime supplier of military equipment, may soon provide Damascus – or already has – with advanced S-300 air defense systems, tipping the balance in the devastating 26-month conflict in the Middle Eastern country. But the [...]

Arirang News MAY 15, 2013 This is General Jang Jong-nam, North Korea’s newly appointed Minister of the People’s Armed Forces. General Jang, who served as the Commander of the First Army Corps, looks comparatively younger than other high-ranking military officials in North Korea most of whom are 60 to 70 years old. Just 10 days [...]

Iran Press TV Tue May 14, 2013 6:25AM GMT Russia says Iran plays a key role in resolving the crisis in Syria, underlining the need for the participation of the Islamic Republic in an upcoming international conference on Syria in Geneva. “While Moscow calls for [the] participation of more members including Syria neighboring countries, Iran [...]

RIA Novosti 15:09 14/05/2013 MOSCOW, May 14 (RIA Novosti) – Damascus’ participation in an international conference between representatives of both sides in the Syrian conflict depends on “details and developments” and it will not be a party to any act that would harm national sovereignty, Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi said, the SANA state news agency [...]

May 14, 2013 by VOA News U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says he expects Syria’s government and the main opposition coalition to attend a peace conference in early June, with the goal of ending their two-year conflict. Speaking during a visit to Stockholm, Kerry said Tuesday that Russia has informed him that the Syrian [...]

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr. American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, May 13, 2013 – President Barack Obama met today with British Prime Minister David Cameron to discuss shared peace in the Middle East, future roles in Afghanistan and other global security developments. Speaking during a news conference at the White House, [...]

May 13, 2013 by Cecily Hilleary President Barack Obama is under increasing pressure to intervene in Syria’s civil war, either by ordering air strikes on government targets, arming the opposition or setting up a no-fly zone to protect the rebels trying to oust the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. The pressure is coming from all [...]

The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release May 13, 2013 Remarks by President Obama and Prime Minister Cameron of the United Kingdom in Joint Press Conference East Room 11:41 A.M. EDT PRESIDENT OBAMA: Good morning, everybody. Please have a seat. And to all our moms out there, I hope you had [...]