Syrian Interior Ministry said Tuesday that 1,083 persons from across Syria who have been involved in recent riots have so far turned themselves in to specialized authorities.

The ministry said in a statement said they have been immediately released after pledging not to repeat such acts that might harm the country and citizens, according to Syria’s official news agency SANA.

The Ministry has recently appealed on those rioters to turn themselves to the ministry before May 15, vowing to release them without any punishment.

The ministry warned against staging any demonstration in the country “under any title” before getting official permission.

Syria has been gripped by more than seven weeks of protests amid calls for reforms. The protests have left more than a hundred army personnel and security agents killed across the country. Syria blamed the violent acts on “extremist terrorist groups.”

Learn Chinese, Learn mandarin, Learning Materials, Mandarin audio lessons, Chinese writing lessons, Chinese vocabulary lists, About Chinese characters, News in Chinese, Go to China, Travel to China, Study in China, Teach in China, Dictionaries, Learn Chinese Painting, Your name in Chinese, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese songs, Chinese proverbs, Chinese poetry, Chinese tattoo, HSK, HSK exam, Chinese Exam Preparation, China Business, China Travel, Mandarin Phrasebook, Chinese editor, Pinyin editor, China Travel, Travel to Beijing

Italian Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa met on Tuesday with his Spanish counterpart Carme Chacon Piqueras to discuss military cooperation in Libya and Lebanon.

La Russa and Piqueras during the meeting launched a joint military commission to reduce the number of Italian troops deployed in Lebanon to 1,000. The meeting also focused on the Libyan mission, a military official told Xinhua.

The meeting took place at the Italian military base of Decimomannu on the island of Sardinia, where Spain has sent four F-18 fighter jets and a refueling aircraft to participate in the NATO-led operation in Libya.

“We have convened on the positive results of our joint commitment in Libya and on the urgency of launching as soon as possible a diplomatic exit strategy to the ongoing conflict,” La Russa said at the end of the meeting.

Italy has offered its southern military base to the countries involved in the NATO-led mission to Libya and recently decided to take part in air raids over the North African country.

Learn Chinese, Learn mandarin, Learning Materials, Mandarin audio lessons, Chinese writing lessons, Chinese vocabulary lists, About Chinese characters, News in Chinese, Go to China, Travel to China, Study in China, Teach in China, Dictionaries, Learn Chinese Painting, Your name in Chinese, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese songs, Chinese proverbs, Chinese poetry, Chinese tattoo, HSK, HSK exam, Chinese Exam Preparation, China Business, China Travel, Mandarin Phrasebook, Chinese editor, Pinyin editor, China Travel, Travel to Beijing

The crisis between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), over transferring the financial taxes dues, had deeply concerned the Palestinians that it may harm the inter-Palestinian reconciliation treaty reached in Cairo last week, officials said on Tuesday.

PNA premier Salam Fayyad said in a statement that his government is unable to pay the monthly salaries of its civil servants “because Israel is holding the financial taxes dues and refuses to transfer the money to the PNA budget, in addition to the lack of foreign aid.”

Meanwhile, Palestinian trade unions and associations are studying the possibility of increasing the pressure on the PNA soon to oblige it to pay the salaries.

Bassam Zakarna, chief of the Public Employees Association announced that the employees are not willing to pay the price of the reconciliation agreement between Islamic Hamas movement and Fatah party of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Palestinian parties had warned of political, social and economical deterioration due to the delay in paying civil servants ‘ salaries. They had ruled out that the reconciliation agreement would be successfully implemented in case the crisis of the salaries goes on for a long time.

Last week, Israel decided to hold the transfer of the 100 million U.S. dollars of financial taxes dues to the PNA treasury in response to a reconciliation agreement reached between Fatah and Hamas movements. Holding the money had led to a severe financial crisis in the PNA’s treasury.

The financial taxes dues that the PNA receives from Israel are 400 million U.S. dollars, which represents around one third of the PNA budget. However, President Abbas earlier on Tuesday called for moving on all levels to pressure on Israel to pay the PNA all the financial taxes dues.

Aziz Abu Dagga, an aide to Fayyad, said that the financial aids received from Europe “are not enough to pay half of the salaries to the employees.” He called on the Arab countries to cover the shortage in the PNA budget. Since 1994, the PNA has been depending on Israel’s taxes dues and on the international aids.

Ghassan al-Khatib, chief of the PNA media bureau, told Palestinian Radio on Tuesday that the Palestinian leadership “is holding intensive contacts with all Arab and international parties to resolve the crisis with Israel.” He called for popular protests against Israel to release the PNA money.

Meanwhile, Hussein al-Sheikh, member of Fatah central committee and the PNA minister of civil affairs, called on the Palestinians to unite “in order to be able to confront the financial crisis and resolve it.”

“The crisis mustn’t affect the reconciliation agreement. All parties are demanded to succeed the implementation of the agreement,” said al-Sheikh, referring to the fact that the PNA pays 150 million U.S. dollars for the salaries of 148,000 employees in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Abdel Majid Sweilim, a Palestinian economist from Ramallah, said the new unity government that Hamas and Fatah had agreed to form “has to be wise enough and aware as well in order to be able to run the daily life of the Palestinian people, including resolving financial crisis.”

“The new government’s mission must focus only on what had been agreed in Cairo after signing the reconciliation pact. This government has to be a government of independent technocrats without being controlled by any of the political parties,” said Sweilim.

Leaders of Fatah and Hamas as well as the entire Palestinian factions are scheduled to hold their first meeting in Cairo next week to discuss the implementation of the reconciliation agreement. They agreed to form a government that prepares for holding elections within one year.

The agreement is ending an inter-Palestinian division, which began in June 2007, when Hamas movement seized control of the Gaza Strip, routed Abbas security forces and took control of the PNA ministries and associations.

Learn Chinese, Learn mandarin, Learning Materials, Mandarin audio lessons, Chinese writing lessons, Chinese vocabulary lists, About Chinese characters, News in Chinese, Go to China, Travel to China, Study in China, Teach in China, Dictionaries, Learn Chinese Painting, Your name in Chinese, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese songs, Chinese proverbs, Chinese poetry, Chinese tattoo, HSK, HSK exam, Chinese Exam Preparation, China Business, China Travel, Mandarin Phrasebook, Chinese editor, Pinyin editor, China Travel, Travel to Beijing