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Russia Warns West against 'Sabotage' of Syria Deal

Russia said Wednesday it would not let Western powers "sabotage" a political transition accord to end the escalating conflict in Syria that was reached in Geneva at the end of June.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Western states of fomenting violence by openly supporting the armed opposition and said Russia expected a formal answer within a matter of days on whether they backed the accord.

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Saudi Daily Insists Russian Official Interviewed on Syria

A Saudi daily insisted Wednesday it had held an interview with Russian Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, following denials from Moscow that he had ever spoken to the newspaper.

Al-Watan posted online a recording which it said proved the interview, in which Bogdanov purportedly said Syrian President Bashar Assad's influential brother Maher lost both his legs in a bomb attack, had indeed taken place.

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Syrian Forces Storm Damascus Districts, Pound Aleppo

Syrian security forces stormed at least two districts of Damascus in the hunt for rebels, in one area using tanks and army vehicles, according to activists on Wednesday.

It is the third straight day security forces have swept central areas of the capital, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

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ISF Source Denies Sayyed was Smuggling Arms with Samaha

A source in the general directorate of the Internal Security Forces denied that former General Security chief Maj. Gen. Jamil Sayyed accompanied ex-minister Michel Samaha to Syria to allegedly smuggle explosives to Lebanon.

In remarks to al-Akhbar daily published on Wednesday, the source said MTV station’s report “is not true and the interrogation of Samaha and his bodyguards did not reveal any such thing.”

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Rebels Claim Damascus Bomb Attack near U.N. Hotel

A massive bomb blast rocked the heart of Damascus on Wednesday, setting off a fireball near the hotel used by the U.N. observer mission in Syria in an attack claimed by the rebel Free Syrian Army.

The blast, which tore a huge hole out of a petrol tanker near the Dama Rose hotel, wounded at least five people, a military officer at the scene said, while Syria's deputy foreign minister said U.N. staff were unscathed.

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Report: Court Can’t Summon Kfouri for Testimony in Samaha Case

The key witness in the case of ex-Minister Michel Samaha, Milad Kfouri, can’t be summoned by the judge to give his testimony, security sources said on Wednesday.

“The witness is under the Internal Security Forces protection, that vowed to safeguard him along with his family,” the source said in comments published in An Nahar newspaper.

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U.S. Accuses Iran of Forming Pro-Regime Militia in Syria

The United States on Tuesday accused Iran of setting up a pro-regime militia in Syria as Washington increasingly ties the crisis there to interference by its long-time foe Tehran.

Western powers are already locked in a diplomatic stand-off with Iran over what they say is its plan to develop nuclear weapons, and tensions are high between U.S. and Iranian patrols in the oil shipping lanes of the Gulf.

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OIC to Suspend Syria amid Iran Opposition

An emergency summit of the 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) began late Tuesday with a proposal to suspend conflict-wracked Syria, a move strongly opposed by Iran.

A draft final statement obtained by Agence France Presse said the summit "approves the suspension of Syria's membership," a measure recommended by a preparatory ministerial meeting held Monday in the western Saudi city of Jeddah.

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Syrians Agree to Lakhdar Brahimi's Bid as Annan's Successor

The Syrians have agreed to the candidacy of Algeria's Lakhdar Brahimi as successor to Kofi Annan, who has resigned as the United Nations and Arab League mediator in Syria, Annan's spokesman said Tuesday.

"I was asked if it was true that the Syrians had consented to his candidacy and I said yes," said Annan's spokesman Ahmad Fawzi.

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U.S. Lifts Sanctions on Syrian PM after Defection

The United States on Tuesday lifted sanctions against former Syrian prime minister Riad Hijab, who defected earlier this month, as it urged more top officials to abandon the regime.

In a move aimed at convincing members of the inner circle of Syrian President Bashar Assad's embattled regime that they have not been permanently blacklisted, the U.S. Treasury Department unfroze Hijab's assets.

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