UPDATE: (BBC News) UN's Ban Ki-moon urges Venezuela to hear protesters' demands; to "listen carefully to the aspirations" of protesters and engage in dialogue with the opposition. His comments came before a meeting in Geneva with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Elias Jaua. Mr Ban said protesters "must resort to peaceful means in delivering and conveying their messages". Eighteen people have died in weeks of anti-government demonstrations. Mr Jaua, who is in Geneva for a meeting of the UN's Human Rights Council, said Venezuela was the victim of a "psychological war" perpetrated by the media. "The propaganda carried out by some national and international media corporations conveys the wrong idea that there is widespread chaos in our country and indiscriminate repression against the people," he said. It was aimed, he said, at portraying Venezuela as a country that violates human rights to "justify foreign intervention". Ban Ki-moon in Geneva Ban Ki-moon has held talks with Foreign Minister Elias Jaua After the meeting with Mr Jaua, the UN issued a statement saying that Mr Ban had "reiterated his hope to see reduced tensions and the necessary conditions to engage in meaningful dialogue". The protests began in the beginning of February in the western states of Tachira and Merida, when local students took to the streets to demand more security after an alleged rape of a local woman. Many students were arrested. On 12 February, the opposition called for marches in Caracas and other cities to demand the release of all the protesters detained. Three people were shot dead at the end of marches in Caracas, and police have since arrested five suspects. The deaths have led to daily protests from the opposition, and clashes have become an almost daily occurrence. Elias Jaua, 17 Feb 14 Elias Jaua served as Venezuela's vice-president during the government of Hugo Chavez Hundreds of people have been arrested, including high-profile opposition politician Leopoldo Lopez. The opposition blames the government for the violence, but also for failed left-wing policies which, in its view, have led to high inflation, rampant crime and the shortage of many staples in shops. Government supporters have also taken to the streets in large numbers over the last weeks in rival marches. President Nicolas Maduro says that right-wing groups backed up by the United States have encouraged the violence as part of a coup plot.

BBC News - UN's Ban Ki-moon urges Venezuela to hear protesters' demands: "Last week, US Secretary of State John Kerry said he was working with Colombia and other countries to form a mediation strategy for Venezuela's political crisis.

Mr Kerry said it would be "very difficult" for the two sides to come to an agreement without assistance.

Political divisions have deepened in Venezuela after the election of Mr Maduro last April. He succeeded Mr Chavez, who died of cancer after 14 years in office.

Henrique Capriles, who lost the vote by a narrow margin, accused the government of electoral fraud."



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UPDATE: U.N. chief calls for new round of Syria peace talks, says regime must be "more constructive' - U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon stressed Monday the urgency of relaunching the Syrian peace process, urging Damascus in particular to return to Geneva with a more “constructive position.” “The only way to end the crisis is through a negotiated solution,” the secretary-general told reporters on the sidelines of the U.N. Human Rights Council, adding: “We are determined to bring the parties back to the table here in Geneva.” The U.N.-led Geneva II peace talks broke down on Feb. 15 when a second round of talks ended with no new date set for them to reconvene. Ban said he had a long talk Sunday with Lakhdar Brahimi, who has been mediating the talks on behalf of the U.N. and the Arab League. The two had concluded that “it is important that the third round of the Geneva conference should be held again as soon as possible,” he said, pointing out that next week would mark three years since the start of the Syrian crisis. “How long should this situation continue this way?” he asked of the conflict that has killed more than 140,000 people and forced millions from their homes. He stressed though that there was first an “urgent need for the parties, and those with influence over them, to reflect on how the talks can achieve the progress the Syrian people and the region so urgently need.” The Geneva II talks broke down with the regime insisting on giving priority to “terrorism” that it blames on the opposition, which in turn wanted to concentrate on putting in place a transitional government without President Bashar Assad. The regime delegation balked at Brahimi’s proposal that the parties alternate between the subjects, insisting nothing else could be discussed until the “terrorism” issue had been completely resolved. “Particularly the Syrian ... government delegation has not been constructively engaging in dialogue,” Ban said, stressing the responsibility of Damascus’ key ally Russia and the United States, which backs the opposition, to push the process forward. “There must be ... a much stronger political will by the world leaders, particularly leaders who are directly concerned and also those leaders who have influence over the parties in conflict, to resolve all these issues through dialogue,” he said. Ban, who met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Geneva to discuss the crisis in Ukraine and the Syria conflict, urged any “powers who have influence on the government as well as the opposition forces to exert their influences.” “All parties [should] come to Geneva as soon as possible with a sincere and constructive position,” he said. | Al Bawaba

U.N. chief calls for new round of Syria peace talks, says regime must be "more constructive' | Al Bawaba: "In Moscow, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov met his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdolahian to discuss “ways to settle the Syrian crisis,” the ITAR-Tass agency said.

“Special attention was paid to the situation in Syria within the joint efforts aimed at continuing the inter-Syrian talks in Geneva in order to find mutually advantageous resolutions on the basis of the Geneva communique of June 30, 2012,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said, referring to the divisive document that stipulates the formation of a transitional authority.


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UPDATE: Ukraine crisis: Russia stands firm despite rebukes, sanctions threats - Russia showed no signs of backing down Monday even as world leaders threatened sanctions and sternly rebuked the country for sending troops into Ukraine. At an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting to discuss the unfolding crisis, Ukraine's envoy asked for help, saying that Russia had used planes, boats and helicopters to flood the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea with 16,000 troops in the past week. "So far, Ukrainian armed forces have exercised restraint and refrained from active resistance to the aggression, but they are in full operational readiness," Ukrainian Ambassador Yuriy Sergeyev said. As diplomats at the meeting asked Russia to withdraw its troops and called for mediation to end the crisis, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin insisted his country's aims were preserving democracy, protecting millions of Russians in Ukraine and stopping radical extremists. He said ousted President Viktor Yanukovych remains Ukraine's elected leader and has asked Russia to send troops. Ex-prime minister calls on world to act How will the West respond to Ukraine? NATO calls emergency meeting on Ukraine Obama to Russia: 'There will be costs' The Russian envoy read a letter from Yanukovych at the U.N. meeting, describing Ukraine as a country "on the brink of civil war," plagued by "chaos and anarchy." "People are being persecuted for language and political reasons," the letter said. "So in this regard, I would call on the President of Russia, Mr. Putin, asking him to use the armed forces of the Russian Federation to establish legitimacy, peace, law and order, stability and defending the people of Ukraine." U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power said Russia's claims about the situation in Ukraine are untrue and warned that sending military forces "could be devastating." Yanukovych, she said, abandoned his post last month and was then voted out of office by Ukraine's democratically elected parliament. "Russian military action is not a human rights protection mission," Power said. "It is a violation of international law." Earlier Monday, global stocks slipped on fears things could get worse, and diplomats grasped for a way to stop the situation from escalating. British Foreign Secretary William Hague called the situation Europe's most serious crisis of the still-young 21st century. And U.S. President Barack Obama said the United States is examining a series of economic and diplomatic steps to "isolate Russia," and he called on Congress to work with his administration on an economic assistance package for Ukraine. Tensions mount In Crimea, more Russian troops arrived, surrounding military posts and other facilities and taking effective control of the peninsula from Ukrainian authorities. What they planned to do next remained unclear. Analysts told CNN the apparently growing presence of Russian troops in Crimea means there's a risk the tense standoff could escalate. "There are lots of unintended consequences when you have armed men staring at each other in places like you do in Crimea," said Michael McFaul, the former U.S. Ambassador to Russia. "So I think we all need to be very vigilant and worry about the worst case scenario, because it's no one's interest ... to see all out civil war in this country in the heart of Europe of 50 million people." Putin's moves into Ukraine come as the Russian leader struggles to deal with a political crisis in the neighboring country that didn't unfold as his government hoped, according to Russia analyst Jill Dougherty, formerly CNN's Moscow bureau chief. "Putin has been trying to figure out what to do. So now he's taking these steps," Dougherty said. "And I think that he probably thinks that they're carefully calibrated. But he really is playing with fire." Tensions rise even higher in Ukraine Ukraine PM: 'This is a red alert' How will the West respond to Ukraine? In one ominous incident, a Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman said the commander of Russia's Black Sea fleet boarded a blocked Ukrainian warship and issued a threat. "Swear allegiance to the new Crimean authorities, or surrender, or face an attack," he said, according to the spokesman, Vladislav Seleznyov. But a spokesman for the Russian Black Sea Fleet said there are no plans to storm Ukrainian military units in Crimea, according to the state-run Interfax news agency. And one Crimean official has reportedly described the situation there as quiet. Despite the assurances, stocks fell around the world, with Russian stocks leading the way as investors parsed the day's developments. Markets declined in Asia, Europe and the United States, where the benchmark Dow Jones fell 153 points Monday. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Monday that sanctions against Russia weren't just possible, but likely. Ukraine's shaky new government has mobilized troops and called up military reservists. In Kiev, interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, who has accused Moscow of declaring war, vowed that his West-leaning government would not give up the region. "Nobody will give Crimea away. ... There are no grounds for the use of force against civilians and Ukrainians, and for the entry of the Russian military contingent," he said. "Russia never had any grounds and never will." A strange scene: Somewhat polite standoff in Crimea If judged by the numbers, Ukraine's military loses war with Russia Worried West The tensions have worried the West, and Russia's G8 partners have condemned Moscow's military buildup in Crimea. The world's seven major industrialized powers also suspended preparations for the G8 summit in Sochi, Russia, in June. Their finance ministers announced some economic support for cash-strapped Ukraine. Putin defies U.S. warning about Ukraine Lawmaker speaks of blood-soaked soil "We are also committed to mobilize rapid technical assistance to support Ukraine in addressing its macroeconomic, regulatory, and anti-corruption challenges," the finance ministers said in a written statement. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, due in Kiev Tuesday, said several foreign powers are looking at economic consequences if Russia does not withdraw its forces. The United States has suspended upcoming trade and investment talks with Russia due to the events in Ukraine, a spokesman for the U.S. trade representative said Monday. Obama said Monday that Russia should consider international condemnation of its military moves in Ukraine, adding that "over time, this will be a costly proposition" due to sanctions and isolation that will result if the situation continues or worsens. Kerry will offer Ukraine a "specific" package of U.S. economic aid when he travels to Kiev for talks Tuesday, Obama said. German Chancellor Angela Merkel's office said Putin had accepted a proposal to establish a "fact-finding mission" to Ukraine, possibly under the leadership of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and to start a political dialogue. How is the rest of the world reacting? East vs. West Ukraine, a nation of 45 million people sandwiched between Europe and Russia's southwestern border, has been in chaos since Yanukovych was ousted on February 22 after bloody street protests that left dozens dead and hundreds wounded. Anti-government demonstrations started in late November, when Yanukovych spurned a deal with the EU, favoring closer ties with Moscow instead. Ukraine has faced a deepening split, with those in the west generally supporting the interim government and its European Union tilt, while many in the east prefer a Ukraine where Russia casts a long shadow. Nowhere is that feeling more intense than in Crimea, the last big bastion of opposition to the new political leadership. Ukraine suspects Russia of fomenting tension in the autonomous region that might escalate into a bid for separation by its Russian majority. Ukrainian leaders and commentators have compared events in Crimea to what happened in Georgia in 2008. Then, cross-border tensions with Russia exploded into a five-day conflict that saw Russian tanks and troops pour into the breakaway territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, as well as Georgian cities. Russia and Georgia each blamed the other for starting the conflict.- CNN.com

Ukraine crisis: Russia stands firm despite rebukes, sanctions threats - CNN.com: "Moscow has defended its parliament's approval of Putin's use of military force to protect its citizens in the Crimean Peninsula, an autonomous region of eastern Ukraine with strong loyalty to Russia.
But Ukraine's ambassador to the U.N. says Russia's reasoning for a possible invasion is fake.
"There is no evidence that the Russian ethnic population or Russian-speaking population is under threat," Sergeyev told CNN.
The Russian parliament, or Duma, is also considering a law that would allow for the annexation of Crimea, according to the parliament's website.
"Now they are trying to create new legal basis to prove annexation of the territory they're now occupying," Sergeyev said.
READ: Ukraine mobilizes troops after Russia's 'declaration of war'
READ: Opinion: Putin's move could be costly to U.S., Middle East
MAP: How Ukraine is divided
CNN's Diana Magnay in Simferopol, Alla Eshchenko in Moscow, Lindsay Isaac and Rob North in London, Dana Ford and Neda Farshbaf in Atlanta, Tom Cohen in Washington, Dominique Van Heerden and journalist Azad Safarov in Kiev contributed to this report."



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