The Nation Newspaper

Tag: William Hague

  • Don’t be provoked, UK tells Ukraine

    There is a risk that “deliberate provocation” could give rise to a dangerous incident in Ukraine, Foreign Secretary William Hague has warned.

    The government of Ukraine should be commended “for refusing to rise to provocation” from Russia, he told MPs.

    “I urged them yesterday to maintain that posture through all circumstances and at all times,” he added.

    The UK’s ambassador to the UN, Sir Mark Lyall Grant, has condemned Russia’s presence in Crimea.

    There have been no reported incidents since the 03:00 GMT deadline allegedly set by Russia for Ukrainian forces in Crimea to surrender or face attack.

    Russia has denied issuing any ultimatum to Ukraine, but Vladimir Putin has said Russia reserves the right to protect its interests.

    Its is being reported that Russian troops have fired warning shots over the heads of Ukrainian soldiers.

    Asked in the Commons whether this could lead to a “conflagration”, Mr Hague replied: “This continues to be a serious risk, particularly that deliberate provocation could give rise to a dangerous incident.

    “I commend the Ukrainian authorities for refusing to rise to provocation, and I urged them yesterday to maintain that posture through all circumstances and at all times, and I believe they will be determined to do so.”

    His comments came as Kiev’s UN envoy Yuriy Sergeyev said Russia had deployed about 16,000 troops to Crimea.

  • Hague urges Sri Lanka-led inquiry

    United Kingdom Foreign Secretary, William Hague has said he believes it is possible for the Sri Lankan government to establish a war crimes inquiry before March.

    It comes after Prime Minister David Cameron called on President Mahinda Rajapaksa to set up an independent inquiry into alleged war crimes – or face a United Nations probe.

    Sri Lanka’s government has rejected Mr. Cameron’s call for an international probe.

    Mr. Hague said that Britain would be pursuing the issue.

    He made the comments to the Colombo-based Sunday Times while attending the Commonwealth summit in Sri Lanka.

    Mr. Hague told the paper that it was possible for the Sri Lankan government to establish an inquiry before next March “to start and show the world they are doing that.”

    BBC reports that Sri Lanka faces continued allegations over the rape and torture of detainees, enforced disappearances of activists and the intimidation of journalists.

    The abuses are alleged to have been committed mainly against Tamils since the end of the war in 2009.

    The Sri Lankan government has vehemently denied all such accusations.

    Mr. Cameron met Mr. Rajapaksa after a visit to the northern Jaffna region to see the situation facing the country’s Tamil minority ahead of the summit.

     

  • Syrian opposition U-turn on talks

    The Syrian opposition has agreed to attend an international summit in Rome, after the United States and United Kingdom “promised specific aid” to the Syrian people.

    The group had previously announced it would boycott the talks because of “the world’s silence” over the violence, BBC reports.

    U.S Secretary of State John Kerry and British Foreign Minister William Hague earlier confirmed there would be more support for Syria’s opposition.

    Mr. Kerry was in London as part of his first foreign trip since taking office.

    The Syrian opposition’s announcement came amid reports of a deadly explosion and heavy fighting in an eastern part of the Syrian capital, Damascus.

    It also emerged on Monday that a member of the United Nations peacekeeping force monitoring the ceasefire between Israeli and Syrian troops in the demilitarised Golan Heights was missing.

    “We can confirm that a staff member is not accounted for and we are in touch with the relevant parties to determine what has happened,” UN spokesman Eduardo del Buey told the Associated Press.

    After meeting Mr. Hague and British Prime Minister David Cameron, Mr. Kerry called Syrian Opposition Council President Moaz Al-Khatib and encouraged him to join the Rome talks on Thursday.

    No further details have been released about the conversation.

    But on Monday evening, Mr. al-Khatib said in a Facebook post that his group would fly to Italy.