Abbas warns Israel about peace failure
RAMALLAH, West Bank – The Palestinian president is warning that if peace talks with Israel fail he may dismantle the Palestinian Authority and hand over responsibility for 2.5 million of his people to Israel.
Mahmoud Abbas told a group of visiting Israeli reporters Tuesday that Israeli policies have left his West Bank government powerless. He said if Israel continues its path, “let it come and run this authority.”
The nine-month period outlined by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to reach the outlines of a peace accord ends in a week. The sides remain locked in dispute over the terms of extending talks and have made no apparent progress on major issues.
Abbas said contacts could continue even after the April 29 deadline. For talks to resume, he said Israel must freeze settlement construction.
Chemical arms disposal continuing, agency says
AMSTERDAM – Syria’s government has disposed of more than 86 percent of its total chemical weapons stockpile, according to the watchdog agency charged with overseeing its removal.
Director-General Ahmet Uzumcu of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons says Syria has just surrendered another batch of raw materials used for making chemical weapons.
He says in a statement Tuesday cargo ships at Syria’s main port, Latakia, have received the latest chemical consignment and delivered it to a U.S. ship offshore.
Ebola virus toll passes 140 in West Africa
DAKAR, Senegal – The World Health Organization says the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa has killed more than 140 people.
The Ebola disease causes a high fever and internal and external bleeding. There is no cure and no vaccine, and it has a high fatality rate.
The U.N. health agency said at least 230 suspected or confirmed cases of Ebola have been recorded so far in Guinea and Liberia.
Associated Press
