US, Greece sign revised defense cooperation agreement
AP, Athens, Greece
The United States and Greece on Saturday signed a revised defense cooperation pact, which Americans officials described as critical to responding to new security challenges in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
The deal provides for increasing joint U.S.-Greece and NATO activity at Larissa, Stefanovikio, and Alexandroupoli as well as infrastructure and other improvements at the Souda Bay naval base.
3-country talks on Nile waters wrap up without agreement
AP, Cairo
Imrrigation ministers from three key Nile Basin countries wrapped up a two-day meeting Saturday in Sudan’s capital without resolving differences over Ethiopia’s soon-to-be-finished Blue Nile dam, with Egypt calling for international mediation to help reach a “fair and balanced” agreement.
Sudan Irrigation Minister Yasser Abbas told reporters in Khartoum that progress was made but differences on filling the giant reservoir and operating rules of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam remain unsettled.
Turkey threatens solo army operation into NE Syria
AP, Istanbul
Turkey’s president, in his strongest warning yet, threatened Saturday to launch a military operation into northeastern Syria, where U.S. troops are deployed and have been trying to defuse tensions between Washington’s two allies – Turkey and the Syrian Kurds.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s threats were a warning that a U.S.-Turkish deal to secure Syria’s troubled border with Turkey was faltering. He said a Turkish military operation against the U.S-backed Kurdish forces could begin “maybe today, maybe tomorrow.”
Tunisia holds third parliament polls since 2011 revolt
AFP, Tunis
Tunisians go to the polls Sunday for the third parliamentary polls of a successful but hectic transition to democracy since the North African country’s 2011 revolution.
Polling stations open for the seven-million electorate at 8:00 am (0700 GMT) and close 12 hours later, with preliminary official results scheduled for Wednesday although exit polls will be released from late Sunday.
