September, 2013

• 19 September

  Afghan refugees in Pakistan to return home by end of 2015

  Pakistan’s government informed the Lower House of the cabinet that it has planned to send the Afghan refugees back home by December 2015. The Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions retired Lt Gen Abdul Qadir Baloch told the National Assembly on Thursday that the government has planned to complete …

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• 19 September

  Hague welcomes US-Russian agreement on Syria

   Foreign Secretary William Hague and Arab League Secretary General Nabil El-Araby stressed late Wednesday that it was important to implement the US-Russian agreement in regards to the chemical weapons in Syria. A statement by the British Foreign Ministry said that Hague and El-Araby meeting also touched the Mideast peace process …

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• 19 September

  Assad says it would take one year and $1 billion to destroy chemical weapons

  Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad promised Wednesday he would surrender Syria’s chemical weapons but warned it would take at least a year to do so and cost one billion dollars. His latest appearance came as UN envoys debated

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• 18 September

  160 UN peacekeepers in Mali desert over pay dispute

  A group of 160 Chadian troops from the United Nations peacekeeping force in Mali have deserted their posts in a dispute over pay and conditions, a military source and the soldiers themselves said Sept. 17. A Chadian army captain claiming to be the leader of the deserters said his men …

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• 18 September

  NATO says Syria military option should stay open

  NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Wednesday that the threat of military action should remain on the table to make Syria keep its promises on giving up chemical weapons. Speaking after he met British Prime Minister David Cameron in London, Rasmussen welcomed the recent US-Russian agreement under which the …

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• 18 September

  Barroso expressed position in favour of Bulgarian, Romanian Schengen entry

  The President of the European Commission (EC) Jose Manuel Barroso has reaffirmed his strong position in favour of the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area. Barroso said that both Bulgaria and Romania have met the criteria for Schengen area membership and should be given a chance to enter the zone as soon as possible.

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• 18 September

  Libya calls for foreign help to restore stability

  Libya’s prime minister on Tuesday appealed to the outside world to help restore security, as it combats political chaos and tries to restart oil exports, crippled by protesters at a cost of $130m a day in lost income. Ali Zeidan met with his British counterpart David Cameron, who two years …

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• 18 September

  Mali’s Keita to be cheered in a show of African unity

  Leaders from Morocco to Gabon will cheer on the inauguration of Mali’s new president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on Thursday in a show of African unity as Mali enters a new era of democracy after months of political chaos.

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• 18 September

  US Defense Secretary discusses with with Egypt’s Sisi about political roadmap

  U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel urged Egypt’s interim authorities to “advance the political roadmap” in a phone call with the country’s army chief on Tuesday, a Pentagon spokesman said.

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• 18 September

  Egypt increases efforts to restore stability across the country

  Director of the media division at Egypt’s Interior Ministry, Brig. Gen. Ayman Helmy, informed Asharq Al-Awsat that 121 police officers were killed, and 1,082 injured, as part of operations to restore stability across the country following the nation-wide Muslim Brotherhood protests in response to former president Mohamed Mursi’s ouster. He added that …

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