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From Washington, this is VOA news. Russia signs treaty with Crimea. Search widens again for missing Malaysian airliner. I'm Ray Kouguell reporting from Washington.
The Kremlin has declared Crimea a part of Russia. VOA's Steve Herman reports from Kyiv on Russian President Vladimir Putin's move. Much to the dismay of the interim government here in Kyiv, which could only watch helplessly, Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow signed a treaty that will incorporate the Ukrainian province of Crimea into Russia. This comes less than a month after Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovych fled the capital after his forces killed protesters. During an address to Russia's parliament, which was nationally televised live in both Russia and Ukraine, Mr. Putin condemned the Kyiv leaders who replaced Mr. Yanukovych, saying they have abused the rights of ethnic Russians in Crimea. Mr. Putin also declared Kyiv the cradle of Russian civilization and expressed hope Russia and Ukraine can continue to coexist. Steve Herman, VOA news, Kyiv. White House spokesman Jay Carney condemned Russia's latest action, saying it clearly violates international law and disregards Ukraine's constitution and sovereignty. Russian and Ukrainian news media, quoting a Ukrainian military spokesman, say the Russian forces had attacked Ukrainian troops at a base in Crimea's main city Simferopol, killing one serviceman. NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says Russia is going down a "dangerous path" by annexing Crimea from Ukraine. He is warning that no NATO ally will recognize what he calls an illegal and illegitimate action. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden was in Poland Tuesday and called the Russian annexation a "land grab" and that its logic for taking over Crimea is "flawed." Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk says it presents a security problem to the entire region. The search is now 11 days old, but military personnel from 26 countries appear to be no closer to finding the missing Malaysian passenger jet. Malaysian authorities say the search for the Boeing 777 airliner with 239 aboard was expanded to cover more than seven million square kilometers. It extends from Central Asia in the north to the vast waters of the Indian Ocean to the south. Thailand's military released new radar information Tuesday that could support earlier reports that the Malaysia Airlines jet made a sharp turn to the west toward the Strait of Malacca after its last contact was recorded early March 8th north of Malaysia. A suicide bomber attacked a busy market in northern Afghanistan Tuesday, ending up with the deaths of at least 15 civilians. VOA's Sharon Behn has details. A man driving a rickshaw into a crowded market Tuesday detonated the bomb, killing or wounding scores of civilians in the northern province of Faryab. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place near a security checkpoint, but the Taliban and allied militants are known to operate in the area. A lawmaker from Faryab, Naqibullah Fayeq, said the suicide bomber killed only innocent bystanders. He says the very sad part of this attack is that all those killed were women, children and workers. President Hamid Karzai blamed the attack on those working for "foreign interests," but did not elaborate. Sharon Behn, VOA news, Islamabad. U.S. officials have told the Syrian embassy in Washington to suspend operations. They say any Syrian diplomats who are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents must leave the country. The order also affects Syria's two honorary consulates in the U.S. U.S. special envoy for Syria Daniel Rubinstein says the Syrian embassy had stopped providing consular services and in light of what he said were "the atrocities committed by the Assad regime against the Syrian people." Iran and the six world powers have launched a new round of nuclear talks, the latest discussions opening Tuesday in Vienna after what a spokesman for the EU's foreign policy chief described as a "constructive" meeting between Catherine Ashton and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. The talks are expected to end today. The U.S. military concluded a contractor's deadly attack inside a naval office building last year in Washington would have been prevented if the government had taken a closer look at his background before handing him a security clearance. The contract worker gunned down 12 people before being fatally shot by police last September at the Navy Yard, located several blocks from the U.S. Capitol. I'm Ray Kouguell, VOA news. Details on these and other stories on our website on the Internet at voanews.com. |