Syria Says it Needs More Details on U.N. Truce Plan

“The Syrian government has agreed ‘in principle’ to a U.N. call for local cease-fires to ease the country’s civil war, but says it needs more details before it can make a final decision,” the AP reports.

The message came after President Bashar al-Assad met in Damascus with Staffan de Mistura, the U.N. special envoy for Syria, who is trying to put together a plan for local cease-fire or “incremental freeze zones” across Syria. Assad said last week the idea was “worth considering.”

“De Mistura came to us with a headline, not with any comprehensive proposal,” said Syria’s Minister of National Reconciliation, Ali Haidar.

“He came to test the Syrian government’s intentions and he heard very good words … confirming that Syria wants serious cooperation, “

Meanwhile, the opposition-backed Free Syrian Army in Aleppo has rejected the idea of a truce proposal, saying it would only benefit the Assad regime. Last week the government arrested Louay Hussein, one of its most prominent critics inside the country, hours after agreeing to consider the cease-fire.

Refugee Wave from Syria and Iraq Could Pose a Threat to the World, Says U.N. Official

More than 13 million refugees displaced from the conflict in Syria and Iraq could destabilize neighboring countries and pose a threat to the world, António Guterres, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, said Monday, as quoted by the Washington Post.

The “megacrisis” has seen so many Syrians and Iraqis flee their homes that ‘the number of refugees worldwide topped 50 million, the greatest number since World War II. At least 32,000 people became refugees every day last year, Guterres said, more than double the pace as recently as three years ago.

Describing how it’s become a threat to regional stability, Guterres said:

“It’s attracted fighters from all over the world who are going to go home one day and represent a clear danger to their own countries.”

The influx of refugees has placed a huge burden on neighboring countries like Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon. One-fourth of Lebanon is now home to Syrian refugees, with local villages where Syrian refugees outnumber Lebanese residents.

With winter approaching, UNHCR is concerned about a $58 million shortfall in funding to buy tents, fuel and food for people displaced within Syria and Iraq. Guterres was in Washington, D.C., to raise awareness about the large number of people who now face “statelessness” and to call on stable countries to accept refugees for resettlement.

President Obama Would Order U.S. Troops Into Battle if ISIS Got Nuclear Weapon

President Obama, who up to this point has been firm in insisting that he would not deploy U.S. ground troops into combat to fight ISIS militants, has “volunteered a scenario which he said would change his mind,” ABC reports.

“If we discovered that [ISIS] had gotten possession of a nuclear weapon, and we had to run an operation to get it out of their hands, then, yes,” the president told reporters at a news conference in Brisbane, Australia, on Sunday. “I would order it.”

U.S. General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the joint chiefs and Obama’s top military adviser, has kept the door open to the possibility of deployment of U.S. ground troops since the beginning of the anti-ISIS offensive dubbed Operation Inherent Resolve, but has never formally recommended it.

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has said that ISIS militants and Assad’s regime “enjoy a symbiotic relationship,” the Guardian reports.

“Assad and Isil are symbiotic,” added Kerry. “Isil presents itself as the only alternative to Assad. Assad purports to be the last line of defence against Isil. Both are stronger as a result.”

The U.S. administration is under pressure from opponents who claims the U.S.-led strikes have benefited the Assad regime and failed to support the moderate rebels.

Recommended Reads:

Los Angeles Times: CIA Intelligence Gap Hinders Counterterrorism Efforts in Syria, Iraq

BBC: Why Islamic State Chose Town of Dabiq for Propaganda

Wall Street Journal: Syrian Defectors Watch Civil War From Sidelines

Deutsche Welle: Demoralized, Syrian Refugees Return Home

Al Monitor: Daraa Province Slowly Falls into Syrian Rebel Hands

Reuters: Islamic State Killed 1,432 Syrians Outside of Battle Since June

New York Times: Briton and Frenchman Tentatively Identified in Islamic State Execution Video

Photo Courtesy: AP Images