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About What's In Blue

When the Security Council approaches the final stage of negotiation of a draft resolution the text is printed in blue. What's in Blue is a regular feed of insights produced by Security Council Report on evolving Security Council decisions. It is designed to help interested readers at UN Missions keep up with what might soon be "in blue". These insights supplement the Monthly Forecasts and other reports from SCR.

What's in the news

posted on Wed 22 May 2013

Middle East

• Turkey shuts Syria border crossing after deadly bombings. Turkey has shut its side of the last border crossing with Syria still controlled by President Bashar al-Assad's government, stepping up security following two deadly bombings this month. Fifty-one people were killed when twin car bombs ripped through the Turkish border town of Reyhanli in the southern province of Hatay on 11 May. Turkey has accused Syria of involvement in the attacks. Damascus has denied any role. (Reuters)
• Syria rebels call for reinforcements as war spreads abroad. Rebels fighting for control of the Syrian town of Qusair called for reinforcements on Wednesday to repel forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad in a civil war which is spreading violence through an already volatile region. The fighting has drawn in fighters from Lebanon's Hezbollah movement, the latest sign of outside involvement in the war and evidence, according to Britain, that Iran and its allies in the militant group are lending increasing support to Assad. (Reuters)
• EU bid to label Hezbollah wing terror group. The EU is reassessing whether to declare the Lebanese party Hezbollah's military wing a terrorist organisation, a move it has long shied away from despite pressure from the US, officials said Wednesday. The move is specifically bolstered by Germany's change of heart on the issue after long resisting calls to list Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation for fear it could destabilise Lebanon and the greater region around it. (AP)
• Ten dead in sectarian clashes in Lebanon's Tripoli. At least 10 people have died and 70 have been wounded in the latest round of sectarian violence in Tripoli in Lebanon. Four people were killed overnight in fighting between Alawite supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Sunnis, who back the Syrian opposition. The death toll since fresh fighting broke out on Sunday includes two Lebanese soldiers. (BBC)

Africa

• South Sudan warns it may shut down oil flow again South Sudan is warning that it may stop exporting oil through Sudan's pipelines again. An official in South Sudan's oil ministry said Sudan has blocked the export of South Sudanese oil. The official insisted he not be identified because he is not authorized to release the information. Also, while speaking at a police graduation ceremony in Juba on Monday, South Sudan President Salva Kiir warned there could be oil shutdown like the one that ended nearly two months ago. (AP)
• Rebels in Central African Republic protest conditions. Some members of the rebel alliance who overthrew the president of CAR are protesting outside the luxury hotel where their leader is based. Their demonstration marks a dangerous development, underscoring the divisions that are emerging within the Seleka rebel movement. The rebels outside the Hotel Ledger Plaza Bangui said Tuesday they were dissatisfied with their living conditions since invading the capital in March. (AP)
• Mortar lands in Congo as UN chief arrives. A mortar round exploded in Goma, a city in eastern Congo which has been in the crosshairs of this country's latest rebellion, officials said Wednesday, as the UN secretary-general arrived in Congo's capital for a two-day visit expected to take him to Goma. The mortar killed one person and injured four. (AP)

Arms Control and Disarmament

• North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sends envoy to China. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sent a special envoy to Beijing, state media has announced, amid cooling relations between the two neighbours. Choe Ryong-hae, a top military official, flew to the Chinese capital on Wednesday, state media said. The brief dispatch gave no details of the visit, which comes amid an apparent toughening of Beijing's stance in the wake of Pyongyang's third nuclear test. (BBC)

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