  Ehud Barak: Assad’s downfall would be a blessing for Middle East December 12, 2011 - 21:06 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Israel's defense minister urged the world to apply "paralyzing" sanctions on Iran's energy sector and leadership, but didn't comment about whether his country is ready to strike Tehran to cripple its alleged efforts to make nuclear arms. Ehud Barak also described the Arab Spring that has swept regional despots from power in the Mideast and Africa as an "extremely moving" manifestation of mass striving for democracy, and he predicted that Syrian President Bashar Assad would be toppled within weeks. Barak spoke on the final day of the three-day World Policy Conference in Vienna, which also showed that relations between Turkey and Israel remain strained following last year's Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla that killed eight Turkish citizens and a Turkish-American. The annual conference aims to bring together policy makers from different sectors to debate some of the world's more pressing concerns and attempt to advance solutions. Regarding Assad's clique, Barak said during a question-and-answer session at the conference, "The falling down of this family is a blessing for the Middle East." He said he expects Syria's relatively secular society to remain that way in any post-Assad scenario. At the same time, Barak said the Mideast turmoil over the short term could result in more influence for Islamic radicals, which would be "quite disturbing for the region," AP 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 |  Latest news The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity  The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization.Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia.Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty.Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. |
