Turkey Arrests 10 Retired Admirals over Government Criticism - Tasnim News Agency

Turkish authorities on Monday detained 10 former admirals after a group of more than 100 retired senior navy officers issued a statement that government officials tied to Turkey’s history of military coups.

Turkish officials lambast ex-soldiers' 'declaration' - Turkey News

Ankara’s Chief Public Prosecutor on April 4 launched an investigation into a declaration released by 104 retired admirals over remarks made by Parliament Speaker Mustafa Şentop on the Montreux Convention.

Montreux Convention is in no way under discussion: Parliament speaker - Turkey

Parliament Speaker Mustafa Şentop reiterated that quitting from international treaties, such as Montreux Convention, is not on the agenda of Turkey.

Iran hints at 10-year partial nuclear freeze

Iran's foreign minister on Thursday suggested that a 10-year moratorium on some aspects of the country's nuclear program might be acceptable to Tehran, though he declined to discuss the issue in detail.

NATO ships will sink in ten minutes should they attack Russia (the Montreux Convention)

The number of NATO ships in the waters of the Black Sea today is larger than it was during the days of the Soviet Union. 

Even during the war with Georgia in 2008, the Alliance and the U.S. did not send so many cruisers, frigates, patrol and reconnaissance vessels to the Black Sea. 

Today, there are nine of them, but Russian defense officials say that there is nothing to fear. In case of aggression against the Russian Federation, nine NATO ships will be able to stay afloat for a few minutes only.

US sends another warship to the Black Sea. - The Montreux Convention

The U.S. Navy is sending a guided missile cruiser to the Black Sea, the Pentagon said May 21, as the latest bid by Washington to to reassure allies worried over Russia's intervention in Ukraine.

"I can confirm the Vella Gulf, a Navy cruiser, will be going in to the Black Sea probably later this week," Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby told reporters.

The Vella Gulf will arrive in the Black Sea after the recent departure of the frigate USS Taylor, which left the area on May 12.

Pentagon says Russian fighter flies near U.S. warship in Black Sea. - (unarmed Russian Su-24)

A Russian fighter jet flew near a U.S. warship in the Black Sea for 12 times on Saturday amid rising tensions in eastern Ukraine, the Pentagon said on Monday.

The USS Donald Cook, a Navy destroyer that arrived in the Black Sea on April 10, was patrolling in international waters in the western Black Sea when an unarmed Russian Su-24 Fencer attack aircraft repeatedly flew nearby, Colonel Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters.

Navires US en mer Noire : Moscou pourrait déployer des bombardiers en Crimée

L'entrée d'un destroyer américain en mer Noire risque de contraindre la Russie à déployer des bombardiers supersoniques Tu-22M3 en Crimée et à accélérer la construction de nouvelles frégates et de nouveaux sous-marins, a annoncé mercredi le rédacteur en chef du magazine Défense Nationale Igor Korotchenko.

"La Russie pourrait profiter de cette occasion pour renforcer ses infrastructures navales en mer Noire en déployant des systèmes supplémentaires Bastion dotés de missiles antinavires Iakhont", a déclaré M. Korotchenko à RIA Novosti.

Russia calls for compliance with convention on duration of ships' stay in Black Sea. - The Montreux Convention

American warships have twice extended their stay in violation of a scheduled date, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says...
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Russia has called for compliance with provisions of the Montreux Convention, which defines how long naval ships not belonging to Black Sea states can remain in its waters.

“Lately, American warships have twice extended their stay in violation of a scheduled date,” said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

US warship given permission to traverse Bosphorus en route to Black Sea

Turkish authorities have given permission to a U.S. Navy warship to pass through the Bosphorus within the next two days as fears grow that the standoff between Russia and Ukraine and the West over Crimea could soon become militarized.

Turkish sources, speaking with the Hürriyet Daily News on March 5, declined to elaborate on the name of the U.S. warship. The same officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, however, noted that it was not the USS George H.W. Bush nuclear aircraft carrier as suggested in some news reports, as it did not meet the standards specified by the 1936 Montreux Convention in terms of weight.

Syrie: achèvement de la première rencontre pouvoir-opposition à Genève

La première rencontre entre les délégations du gouvernement syrien et de l'opposition anti-Assad avec la participation de l'émissaire de l'Onu et de la Ligue arabe pour la Syrie Lakhdar Brahimi s'est achevée à Genève, a annoncé samedi à RIA Novosti une source au sein de la délégation de Damas.

"La rencontre n'a duré qu'un quart d'heure. Seul M.Brahimi est intervenu", a déclaré l'interlocuteur de l'agence.

Et d'ajouter que le chef de la délégation gouvernementale, le ministre syrien des Affaires étrangères Walid Mouallem n'avait pas participé au premier round de négociations.

UN mediator to meet separately with Syria sides (video UN: Geneva Press Briefing)

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GENEVA - United Nations mediator on Syria Lakhdar Brahimi will meet separately with delegations of the Syrian government and opposition on Friday in Geneva, opposition sources said.

The opposition will not meet with the delegation led by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem until it endorses the Geneva communique of June 30, 2012 calling for a transitional governing body to be established, one opposition delegate said.

Syrie: cesser les livraisons d'armes aux belligérants (Ban Ki-moon)

Le secrétaire général de l'ONU Ban Ki-moon a appelé mercredi la communauté internationale à cesser les livraisons d'armes en Syrie et a souligné que le règlement militaire du conflit dans ce pays était impossible.

"J'appelle tous les pays qui livrent des armes en Syrie, arrêtez-vous s'il vous plaît", a déclaré M. Ban Ki-moon lors d'une conférence de presse à l'issue du forum de Montreux.
Le secrétaire général a souligné que le conflit syrien n'avait pas de solution militaire.

UN chief to Syrian FM at conference: Stop talking / Ban opens Syrian peace talks, urges all sides to seize ‘historic’ opportunity to end bloodshed.- video UN

Speech at opening session of Geneva peace conference ran long, leading to terse exchange with Ban Ki-moon.

The bell ran five times during Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem's speech Wednesday at the opening session of the Syrian peace conference, signaling he had exceeded the time limit.

Genève II - La télévision syrienne diffuse le discours de l'opposition avec des images de "crimes"

La télévision syrienne a diffusé mercredi le discours du chef de l'opposition Ahmad Jarba à la conférence de paix en Suisse en montrant en parallèle des images présentées comme des "crimes terroristes".

La télévision n'a pas mentionné son nom et n'a pas repris en bandeau ses propos comme elle l'a fait pour la plupart des autres intervenants lors de la conférence qui s'est ouverte à Montreux. Elle a laissé le bandeau avec les propos du ministre syrien des Affaires étrangères Walid Mouallem, qui intervenait avant lui. L'écran était divisé en deux: à droite le discours d'Ahmad Jarba avec la mention "Montreux, Suisse" et à gauche des images de morts et de destruction avec le titre "Crimes terroristes en Syrie". Elle a usé du même procédé lors des interventions des ministres des Affaires étrangères de Turquie, Ahmet Davutoglu, et d'Arabie saoudite, Saoud al-Fayçal. Ces deux pays sont les principaux soutiens aux opposants au régime de Bachar al-Assad. 

ΥΠΕΞ: Συμμετοχή Αντιπροέδρου της Κυβέρνησης και ΥΠΕΞ Ευ. Βενιζέλου στη Συνδιάσκεψη Γενεύη ΙΙ για τη Συρία (Μοντρέ, 22.01.2014)

ΥΠΕΞ, Τετάρτη, 22 Ιανουάριος 2014

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Ο Αντιπρόεδρος της Κυβέρνησης και Υπουργός Εξωτερικών Ευ. Βενιζέλος βρίσκεται στο Μοντρέ, όπου μετέχει στη Συνδιάσκεψη Γενεύη ΙΙ για τη Συρία, την οποία συγκάλεσε ο Γενικός Γραμματέας του Οργανισμού Ηνωμένων Εθνών κ. Μπαν Κι-Μουν.

Πριν την έναρξη της Συνδιάσκεψης, ο κ. Μπαν Κι-Μουν, σε συνάντηση που είχε με τον κ. Βενιζέλο, τον ευχαρίστησε για τη χθεσινή παρέμβασή του, προκειμένου να ανεφοδιασθεί και να αναχωρήσει από την Αθήνα προς τη Γενεύη το αεροσκάφος που μετέφερε την συριακή αντιπροσωπεία.

Plane of Syrian delegation delayed in Greece

A plane carrying the Syrian delegation to the Geneva peace talks was “prevented from refueling” after it landed at Athens airport, the state television reported.
The delegation’s plane landed at Athens international airport and was prevented from refueling,” Syrian television said, adding that all airspace permissions had previously been granted for the flight.
An official Syrian source confirmed to report to AFP. “The plane carrying the official Syrian delegation has been blocked for three hours at Athens airport because the Greek authorities refuse to provide it with fuel,” the source said.

Ban withdraws Iran’s invitation to Syria talks, saying its statements contradict assurances

20 January 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today withdrew his invitation to Iran to attend a United Nations conference on ending the nearly three-year-old Syrian civil war, voicing “deep disappointment” that Iranian public statements were totally inconsistent with oral assurances he had been given. Mr. Ban announced last night that he had invited Iran to attend the conference’s opening in Montreux, Switzerland, on Wednesday after Foreign Minister Javad Zarif assured him that his country understands that the basis of the talks is full implementation of an action plan adopted in the so-called Geneva Communique of 2012, which calls for a transitional government to lead to free and fair elections.

Syria's National Coalition says UN chief to make statement on Iran. -Video:UN Central Emergency Response Fund Allocations for Syria Crisis

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ANKARA - Syria's main political opposition in exile said on Monday it would decide whether to attend the Geneva 2 conference in Switzerland after an announcement by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Iran's attendance at the talks.

"It is expected that the Secretary-General of the UN will be holding a press conference during the next few hours in order to show the position of the United Nations from the invitation sent to Iran to attend Geneva 2," the National Coalition's statement said. "The Coalition will send its final position on the basis of the statement of the Secretary-General."

U.S. official: Iran not eligible for Syria talks

The United States is in talks with the United Nations over the surprise invitation of Iran to attend to the Geneva II peace conference on Syria and expects the invite to be rescinded, a U.S. official said Monday.

Iran has “never endorsed the Geneva I communique” which calls for a transitional government in Syria and “we expect the invitation will be rescinded,” a senior State Department official said.
The United States earlier said the United Nations should withdraw the invitation unless Iran, a key backer of President Bashar al-Assad, gives “explicit” support to the conference aim of setting up a transitional government in Syria.