US National Security Adviser HR McMaster accused Russia and Iran of being “complicit” in the Assad regime's atrocities, in an emphatic speech made seven years since the start of the Syrian war.
Gen McMaster gave the keynote speech at the Holocaust Museum’s day of remembrance for Syria on Thursday, committing the US to act and hold the parties responsible.
“Remembrance is only the first step, we also must act to protect victims and to hold all responsible parties accountable,” he said. “If we are to fulfil our promise of ‘Never Again’, we must also act to protect victims and to hold all responsible parties accountable.”
Read more: Mattis accuses Iran of meddling in Iraq's elections
The US official said that neither the Assad regime nor its supporters should have impunity for their crimes.
“It is time to impose serious political and economic consequences on Moscow and Tehran,” he said, calling on the international community to counter Iran’s destabilising activities in Syria and across the region.
Since 2012, General McMaster said that "Iran has provided over $16 billion to the Assad regime and to other proxies in Syria Iraq and Yemen".
“Tehran is also transporting foreign Shiite militants and weapons from Iran to Syria by illegal flights including civilian Iranian airlines,” he noted. This constitutes a violation of UN resolutions and the nuclear deal reached with Iran in 2015 and that the Trump administration is reviewing before a May deadline.
“Iran’s goal is to secure a permanent military foothold in Syria which would threaten Israel, undermine US interests and strengthen its proxy forces that it uses to weaken Arab states and foment violence” Mr McMaster said.
He confirmed that the Trump administration is documenting atrocities in Syria and declassifying intelligence that “exposes Assad’s horrific crimes”, defeating terrorism and deterring against chemical weapons use. These efforts are being impeded by Moscow and Tehran, he told his audience in Washington.
Mr McMaster also made reference to Syria’s civil defence organization, also known as the White Helmets, for saving lives, and recited names of two children who died in chemical weapons attack by the Assad regime. “Let us all promise to remember, and to act,” he said.
The speech came as reports emerged of Mr McMaster's imminent exit from the White House and potential return to the military. The Washington Post reported late on Thursday that Donald Trump has decided to remove his national security adviser. The report said Mr Trump complained [to chief of staff John Kelly "that Mr McMaster is too rigid and that his briefings go on too long and seem irrelevant."
According to the same report, the names being discussed as a replacement for Mr McMaster include “John Bolton, a former US ambassador to the United Nations, and Keith Kellogg, the chief of staff of the National Security Council.” Mr Bolton was at the White House last Tuesday and met Mr Trump, according to Vanity Fair.
A US official told The National that Mr McMaster has been seeking to leave for almost six months now. “He wants to return to the army, and be a four-star general”, the source said. That could mean waiting for a high-ranking military appointment to open before he exits.
The White House denied the report, insisting Mr McMaster is staying, Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders tweeted on Thursday night that the rumour was untrue: "Just spoke to @POTUS and Gen. H.R. McMaster - contrary to reports they have a good working relationship and there are no changes at the NSC."
Mr McMaster’s tough talk on Syria also coincides with the Trump administration’s own reviews of its options in the war. High-level sources in Washington told The National that a coordinated US-EU efforts to gather evidence on chemical weapons attacks by the Assad regime recently in eastern Ghouta.
They revealed that the Trump administration is considering a whole set of options including military strikes in Syria if such evidence is proven, but that no final decision has been made.
Also on Thursday, the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed two bipartisan measures to sanction Iran for serious human rights abuses, and limit assistance for areas of Syria controlled by Assad.
Full Party in the Park line-up
2pm – Andreah
3pm – Supernovas
4.30pm – The Boxtones
5.30pm – Lighthouse Family
7pm – Step On DJs
8pm – Richard Ashcroft
9.30pm – Chris Wright
10pm – Fatboy Slim
11pm – Hollaphonic
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Bundesliga fixtures
Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
Monday, May 18
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)
The biog
Favourite pet: cats. She has two: Eva and Bito
Favourite city: Cape Town, South Africa
Hobby: Running. "I like to think I’m artsy but I’m not".
Favourite move: Romantic comedies, specifically Return to me. "I cry every time".
Favourite spot in Abu Dhabi: Saadiyat beach
Race card
5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; 5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; 6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (PA) 1,400m
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
'Outclassed in Kuwait'
Taleb Alrefai,
HBKU Press
World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
RACE RESULTS
1. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Mercedes) 1hr 21min 48.527sec
2. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Ferrari) at 0.658sec
3. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS/Red Bull) 6.012
4. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) 7.430
5. Kimi Räikkönen (FIN/Ferrari) 20.370
6. Romain Grosjean (FRA/Haas) 1:13.160
7. Sergio Pérez (MEX/Force India) 1 lap
8. Esteban Ocon (FRA/Force India) 1 lap
9. Felipe Massa (BRA/Williams) 1 lap
10. Lance Stroll (CAN/Williams) 1 lap
11. Jolyon Palmer (GBR/Renault) 1 lap
12. Stoffel Vandoorne (BEL/McLaren) 1 lap
13. Nico Hülkenberg (GER/Renault) 1 lap
14. Pascal Wehrlein (GER/Sauber) 1 lap
15. Marcus Ericsson (SWE/Sauber) 2 laps
16. Daniil Kvyat (RUS/Toro Rosso) 3 laps
Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat
Barbara J King, University of Chicago Press
AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Steve Smith (capt), David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Jackson Bird, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine, Chadd Sayers, Mitchell Starc.
The biog
Name: Dr Lalia Al Helaly
Education: PhD in Sociology from Cairo
Favourite authors: Elif Shafaq and Nizar Qabbani.
Favourite music: classical Arabic music such as Um Khalthoum and Abdul Wahab,
She loves the beach and advises her clients to go for meditation.
Abu Dhabi GP weekend schedule
Friday
First practice, 1pm
Second practice, 5pm
Saturday
Final practice, 2pm
Qualifying, 5pm
Sunday
Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps), 5.10pm
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
'Munich: The Edge of War'
Director: Christian Schwochow
Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons
Rating: 3/5
NBA Finals so far
(Toronto lead 3-1 in best-of-seven series_
Game 1 Raptors 118 Warriors 109
Game 2 Raptors 104 Warriors 109
Game 3 Warriors 109 Raptors 123
Game 4 Warriors 92 Raptors 105
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
The Matrix Resurrections
Director: Lana Wachowski
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jessica Henwick
Rating:****
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