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From Washington, this is VOA news. Ukraine on President Obama's mind in Poland. Syrians vote with little challenge for President Assad. I'm Ray Kouguell reporting from Washington.
The situation in Ukraine topped the agenda Tuesday as President Obama paid a visit to Poland to reassure its leaders of U.S. support. After meeting Tuesday in Warsaw with Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski, Mr. Obama called for Russian to help prevent the flow of weapons to separatists in eastern Ukraine and use its influence to get the militants there to support peace. He said Mr. Komorowski agrees that further Russian provocation will have costs for Russia, including possible sanctions. "Basic principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty and freedom, the ability for a people to make their own determinations about their country's future is the cornerstone of the peace and security that we have seen in Europe over the last several decades and that is threatened by Russian actions in Crimea and now Russian activity in eastern Ukraine." Mr. Obama said the U.S.-Russia relationship can be rebuilt but it will take time to reestablish trust. The president is scheduled to meet with Ukraine's President-elect Petro Poroshenko before leaving Poland today for Brussels. Fighting between government forces and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine continued Tuesday, with each side claiming to have inflicted losses on the other. Ukraine's acting President Oleksandr Turchynov told parliament Tuesday that an "insurgents' camp" outside the city of Severodonetsk and the Luhansk region have been destroyed and a large number of terrorists killed. He also said security forces are moving to liberate northern Donetsk. The region neighbors Luhansk. The United States is urging China to free government critics detained or placed under house arrest in the lead-up to today's 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown. Dozens of activists, journalists and lawyers were detained or placed under house arrest ahead of the June 4th anniversary of China's violent suppression of pro-democracy protests in 1989. China is defending its detention of the critics as lawful. Syrians in parts of the country under government control voted Tuesday in an election expected to give President Bashar al-Assad a third seven-year term. Edward Yeranian reports. President Bashar al-Assad, whose family has controlled Syria since his father came to power in a bloodless coup in 1970, is facing two rival candidates for the first time in modern history. Both of his adversaries were chosen by the country's pro-government parliament and stand little chance of winning. The embattled president, who has been trying to put down a three-year old uprising against his rule in which 150,000 people have died, was shown voting early at a Damascus polling station with his wife Asma. The smiling Assad chatted briefly with election officials. Edward Yeranian, for VOA news, Cairo. Syrian opposition leaders have denounced the election. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf described it as a disgrace. Official results from Egypt's presidential election show former army chief, Abdel Fatah al-Sissi, winning the presidency in a landslide. Egypt's Election Commission says he took almost 97 percent of the vote in last week's race. The International Organization for Migration reports tens of thousands of migrants have been rescued while making the perilous sea crossing from Libya to Italy this year. Lisa Schlein reports. This past weekend, more than 3,000 boat people who crossed the Mediterranean from North Africa managed to reach Italy. Their arrival in Sicily put the number of migrants who have successfully made this perilous journey to more than 40,000 in the first five months of this year. That is close to the 42,000 total for all of 2013 reported by the International Organization for Migration. IOM says permanent solutions must be found to end irregular migration. The agency says it is up to the countries of origin, transit, and destination to enact policies to manage and regularize migration for the benefit of all. Lisa Schlein, for VOA news, Geneva. And I'm Ray Kouguell in Washington. That's the latest world news from VOA. |