Syria. The US military blocked a Russian convoy

1 The USA — Syria

John Elliot, the spokesman for the White House National Security Council, stated that Russia violated the deconflicting protocols during the incident in north-east of Syria. An incident that took place on the morning of 25th of August, near the settlement of Derik in north-east of Syria, resulted in injured US troops. «During the incident, a Russian vehicle crashed into an armored car of the coalition. As a result, the crew of the coalition vehicle was injured. In order to de-escalate the situation — the coalition patrol left the area» — John Elliot stated. Earlier this incident in north-east of Syria was reported by the newspaper Politico — it quoted their sources in the Pentagon. The press secretary of the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, stated that a discussion of the current situation took place between the chiefs of the general staff of the two countries. In a statement from the spokesman for the Committee of Chiefs of Staff, Didi Halfhill, it was reported that on Wednesday the head of the Committee of the Chiefs of Staff of the US Armed Forces, Mark Milli, had a telephone conversation with the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Forces, Valery Gerasimov. It was noted that in accordance with the previous practice — no specific details of the conversation will be disclosed.

2 Russia — Syria

The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Forces, Valery Gerasimov, gave a comprehensive explanation to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US Armed Forces, Mark Milli, about the incident involving the military of the two countries in Syria. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that during the incident, a Russian military patrol in Syria acted in response to the US attempts to block the movement of the Russian convoy. It was underlined that the coalition forces were notified in advance about the passage of the Russian military police convoy. «Despite that — the US Armed Forces tried to block the Russian patrol, in a violation of the existing agreements. In response, the Russian military police took the necessary measures to prevent the incident in order to fulfill their own task» — the Russian Defense Ministry explained.

3 The USA

The US Special Representative for Syria, James Jeffrey, stated that the Syrian government should not reclaim more territories from the armed opposition groups, but instead they should sit down at the negotiating table. «This is our priority. We will discuss this matter with the Turkish officials» — James Jeffrey stated. «Syria is a huge security threat, and a geopolitical threat to all of the neighbors, starting with Turkey. Turkey must be at the negotiating table, for any resolution of this conflict» — he added. On 27th of August James Jeffrey planned to meet with the Turkish Presidential spokesman, Ibrahim Kalyn, and the Turkish Minister of National Defense, Hulusi Akar.

4 Switzerland — Syria

The office of the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, stated that the small drafting group of the Syrian Constitutional Committee is resuming their work in Geneva. The small group of the Syrian Constitutional Committee gathered on 24th of August at the UN HQ in Geneva after an almost 9-months long pause, caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The delegates were planning to discuss the issue of the national foundations and the principles of the country. However, on the evening of the same day, 4 members of the group were diagnosed with the coronavirus. In such regard, Geir Pedersen decided to suspend the work. It was reported that the decision to resume the work was made after an additional testing of the participants, and on the basis of the recommendations from the experts. «The special envoy’s office has been formally informed by the competent health authorities that the 3rd meeting of the small group can resume their meetings, with a full social distancing, and other appropriate precautions» — end of quote.

5 Libya

The anti-government protests continue in the Libyan capital, Tripoli. The news website ‘LibyaReview’ reported that the law enforcement agencies, controlled by the Government of the National Accord, led by the Prime Minister Faiz Sarraj, opened fire to disperse the protesters. The detention of the activists was reported as well. Despite the 4-day curfew, imposed on Wednesday under the pretext of the coronavirus pandemic — people still gathered on the Martyrs Square and some other central streets. By the decision of the Cabinet — the religious and public gatherings, mass events, and the use of the public transport were prohibited. The protests in Tripoli started on 23rd of August. The participants express their dissatisfaction with the actions of the government, the escalation of the socio-economic situation, the impoverishment of the general population, and the rampant corruption.