United Nations, United States: After a week of bitter acrimony over Syria, UN Security Council ambassadors are heading to a farmhouse in southern Sweden for a retreat to try to break the deadlock over how to end the war.
US Ambassador Nikki Haley and her Russian counterpart Vassily Nebenzia will be among the 15 ambassadors joining Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for the secluded getaway in a country setting.
The three-day retreat beginning Friday comes after one of the council’s most divisive periods, with the United States and Russia split over the alleged chemical weapons attack in Douma that lead to military action by Washington and its allies against Syria.
The council met five times on Syria last week including on Tuesday when Russia vetoed a US-drafted resolution setting up a chemical weapons probe while two other proposed measures failed to pass.
The Russia-US rivalry prompted Guterres to declare that the Cold War was “back with a vengeance.”
Asked whether he expected awkward moments during the Swedish retreat, Nebenzia told reporters: “I will see how they feel about dealing with me after all that happened.”
“It’s not news to anyone that the council is divided on Syria,” said Sweden’s Deputy UN Ambassador Carl Skau. “There is some need for humility and patience at this moment.”
The council will be staying at Backakra, the summer residence of Dag Hammarskjold, who was the United Nations’ second secretary-general.
The residence located on the southern tip of Sweden, far from Stockholm, is a “fitting and inspiring venue” to reconnect with the power of diplomacy, said Skau.
“It’s a place to roll up our sleeves, take off our jackets and ties and come up with some real and meaningful ways forward,” he said.
The annual brainstorming session usually takes place in upstate New York, but Sweden, which is a non-permanent council member, offered to host this year’s gathering.
Guterres had told council members that the focus of the meeting would be his plan for a “surge of diplomacy” to address conflicts worldwide, but the council’s deadlock over Syria is emerging as the top priority.
Divided UN council heads to Sweden for farmhouse retreat
Divided UN council heads to Sweden for farmhouse retreat
- 15 ambassadors will join Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for the secluded getaway in a country setting.
- The three-day retreat will begin on Friday.
North Macedonia police arrest man accused of planning mass murder
- Police said the suspect was inspired by the notorious Sandy Hook school massacre in December 2012
- Police tracked the message to the village of Mala Recica, west of the capital Skopje
SKOPJE: A 20-year-old man was arrested in North Macedonia suspected of planning a mass murder, authorities said on Friday, after being tipped off by US intelligence.
Police said the suspect was inspired by the notorious Sandy Hook school massacre in December 2012, when a 20-year-old man killed 26 people including 20 children at a school in Connecticut.
FBI investigators spotted threats on the social app Discord in late January and informed the US embassy in Skopje which contacted the local authorities, police said in a statement.
“The suspect sent a serious threat that he was ready to carry out an attack with a firearm — an AK-47 automatic rifle... while saying that he had impaired mental health,” it said.
Police tracked the message to the village of Mala Recica, west of the capital Skopje, and arrested two people.
The police said the suspect was charged with terrorism, while another, aged 89, was charged with weapons and explosives offenses. Media reported that the second suspect was the young man’s grandfather.
During searches officers seized various firearms, state prosecutors said in a statement.
The police said the weapons included an AK-47, two handguns and hundreds of pieces of ammunition plus body armor, knives and electronics.
The prosecutors’ office said the suspect was remanded in custody for a month.
