Syria accepts Arab League protocol on monitoring missionNovember 24, 2011 - 18:33 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Iraq's foreign minister said on Thursday, Nov 24 that Damascus had agreed to a protocol on sending a monitoring mission to Syria to assess the situation on the ground after an eight-month crackdown on protests against President Bashar al-Assad's rule. "Syria has agreed fully to the protocol," the Iraqi minister, Hoshiyar Zebari, told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo to discuss Syria and to consider imposing sanctions. He said the protocol would be signed by Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, after the Arab League had previously rejected Damascus' request for amendments. Zebari also said Arab ministers agreed on the need for a complete halt to violence in Syria, Reuters reported. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide. Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed. Azerbaijan razes historic Armenian church to ground Azerbaijan has demolished the historic Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (known as Kanach Zham). Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills |