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| Syria crisis: opposition talks end in chaotic scenes - live updates | Syria crisis: opposition talks end in chaotic scenes - live updates |
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| 9.25am: Bahrain: The government is lobbying for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council's advisory committee when elections are held in September, according to documents seen by the Guardian. | 9.25am: Bahrain: The government is lobbying for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council's advisory committee when elections are held in September, according to documents seen by the Guardian. |
| A letter from Bahrain proposing its "entirely qualified" nominee, Saeed Mohammed al-Faihani, has been sent to the 57 member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation seeking their support. The letter was circulated by Pakistan in its capacity as the OIC's coordinator. | A letter from Bahrain proposing its "entirely qualified" nominee, Saeed Mohammed al-Faihani, has been sent to the 57 member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation seeking their support. The letter was circulated by Pakistan in its capacity as the OIC's coordinator. |
| Letters to the UN endorsing the Gulf kingdom's candidate have also been been provided by Bahrain's National Institution for Human Rights and several local government-approved human rights organisations. | Letters to the UN endorsing the Gulf kingdom's candidate have also been been provided by Bahrain's National Institution for Human Rights and several local government-approved human rights organisations. |
| The move is seen as an attempt to clean up Bahrain's image and also to give it influence in human rights discussions at the UN. | The move is seen as an attempt to clean up Bahrain's image and also to give it influence in human rights discussions at the UN. |
| Raza Kazim of the London-based Islamic Human Rights Commission (which showed the documents to the Guardian) said: | Raza Kazim of the London-based Islamic Human Rights Commission (which showed the documents to the Guardian) said: |
| It's disgraceful that such a country with an appalling human rights record should be on the human rights advisory committee. We ask the UN and other countries around the world to reject Bahrain's application. | It's disgraceful that such a country with an appalling human rights record should be on the human rights advisory committee. We ask the UN and other countries around the world to reject Bahrain's application. |
| Countries with human rights abuses should not be allowed to use the United Nations Human Rights Council to wash away their crimes. | Countries with human rights abuses should not be allowed to use the United Nations Human Rights Council to wash away their crimes. |
| We will be launching a campaign to ensure that Bahrain is not allowed on the UN human rights advisory committee. To allow them a seat is to undermine the very notion of human rights. The leaked documents, exclusively obtained by IHRC, show that there needs to be more work done within the OIC on the issue of human rights, rather than promoting the application of a human rights violator. | We will be launching a campaign to ensure that Bahrain is not allowed on the UN human rights advisory committee. To allow them a seat is to undermine the very notion of human rights. The leaked documents, exclusively obtained by IHRC, show that there needs to be more work done within the OIC on the issue of human rights, rather than promoting the application of a human rights violator. |
| The advisory committee acts as a thinktank for the UN Human Rights Council and its 18 elected members are regarded as "experts". Four seats will become vacant in September. | The advisory committee acts as a thinktank for the UN Human Rights Council and its 18 elected members are regarded as "experts". Four seats will become vacant in September. |
| Current members include several from countries with a poor human rights record, among them China and Azerbaijan. | Current members include several from countries with a poor human rights record, among them China and Azerbaijan. |
| 9.10am: Syria: The Spanish journalist Javier Espinosa, who escaped from Homs earlier this year, claims the destruction of the city is now worse than what he witnessed last year in the Libyan port of Misrata, which was besieged for months by Gaddafi's forces. | 9.10am: Syria: The Spanish journalist Javier Espinosa, who escaped from Homs earlier this year, claims the destruction of the city is now worse than what he witnessed last year in the Libyan port of Misrata, which was besieged for months by Gaddafi's forces. |
| the devastation of #Homs is truly incredible, already exceeds the destruction I saw in Misrata #Libya #Syria youtube.com/watch?v=6QleQ8… | the devastation of #Homs is truly incredible, already exceeds the destruction I saw in Misrata #Libya #Syria youtube.com/watch?v=6QleQ8… |
| — JAVIER ESPINOSA (@javierespinosa2) July 4, 2012 | — JAVIER ESPINOSA (@javierespinosa2) July 4, 2012 |
| 8.58am: Syria/Jordan/Palestinian territories: The Jordanian authorities have forcibly returned some newly arriving Palestinians from Syria and threatened others with deportation, according to Human Rights Watch. | |
| The group urged Jordan to treat all Palestinians from Syria seeking refuge in Jordan the same as Syrian asylum seekers. | The group urged Jordan to treat all Palestinians from Syria seeking refuge in Jordan the same as Syrian asylum seekers. |
| Yesterday a UN official urged Jordan to open a refugee camp for Syrians fleeing the violence in their country. | Yesterday a UN official urged Jordan to open a refugee camp for Syrians fleeing the violence in their country. |
| Andrew Harper, the UN refugee agency's representative to Jordan, told AP: "We will have to do something pretty soon, because we've had 1,000 people arrive [Monday] night. Over the past four days, the numbers have doubled every night." | Andrew Harper, the UN refugee agency's representative to Jordan, told AP: "We will have to do something pretty soon, because we've had 1,000 people arrive [Monday] night. Over the past four days, the numbers have doubled every night." |
| 8.40am: (all times BST) Welcome to Middle East Live. | 8.40am: (all times BST) Welcome to Middle East Live. |
| Here's a roundup of the latest developments and analysis | Here's a roundup of the latest developments and analysis |
| Syria | Syria |
| • A meeting of Syria's divided opposition in Cairo ended in scuffles, a walkout and failure to agree on a joint organisation to act as a united front. A Syrian Kurdish group quit the meeting, provoking mayhem and cries of "scandal, scandal" from delegates. An official from the Arab League, who attended the closed meetings, said "They are so different, chaotic and hate each other," according to Reuters. Al-Jazeera had more positive take on the meeting saying it agreed in general terms on support for the Free Syrian Army, the dissolution of the ruling Baath Party and the exclusion of Assad or other senior regime figures from a place in the transition. | • A meeting of Syria's divided opposition in Cairo ended in scuffles, a walkout and failure to agree on a joint organisation to act as a united front. A Syrian Kurdish group quit the meeting, provoking mayhem and cries of "scandal, scandal" from delegates. An official from the Arab League, who attended the closed meetings, said "They are so different, chaotic and hate each other," according to Reuters. Al-Jazeera had more positive take on the meeting saying it agreed in general terms on support for the Free Syrian Army, the dissolution of the ruling Baath Party and the exclusion of Assad or other senior regime figures from a place in the transition. |
| Footage from Sky Arabia captured the chaotic scenes at the end of the meeting. • Turkey's foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Syria's opposition should accept the idea of a transitional government agreed on the suggestion of international envoy Kofi Annan. But speaking to Sky News Arabia, he said President Bashar al-Assad should play no part in the transition. | Footage from Sky Arabia captured the chaotic scenes at the end of the meeting. • Turkey's foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Syria's opposition should accept the idea of a transitional government agreed on the suggestion of international envoy Kofi Annan. But speaking to Sky News Arabia, he said President Bashar al-Assad should play no part in the transition. |
| • France's foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, revealed that Russia would not be attending a meeting of the western-Arab Friends of Syria grouping in Paris on Friday, even though there was an invitation. Moscow and Beijing accuse the US and its allies of pursuing "regime change" in Syria and insist that only Syrians can decide on the country's political future. | • France's foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, revealed that Russia would not be attending a meeting of the western-Arab Friends of Syria grouping in Paris on Friday, even though there was an invitation. Moscow and Beijing accuse the US and its allies of pursuing "regime change" in Syria and insist that only Syrians can decide on the country's political future. |
| • The collapse of the Syrian army is accelerating, according to former defence intelligence officer Jeffrey White. Writing for the Washington Institute thinktank, he said | • The collapse of the Syrian army is accelerating, according to former defence intelligence officer Jeffrey White. Writing for the Washington Institute thinktank, he said |
| If the army cannot address these challenges, it will likely collapse, though precisely when is difficult to determine. The end could come in a rush or, more likely, through gradual disintegration. | If the army cannot address these challenges, it will likely collapse, though precisely when is difficult to determine. The end could come in a rush or, more likely, through gradual disintegration. |
| Improving the Free Syrian Army's planning, intelligence, combat, and command-and-control capabilities would presumably speed this process even further. The endgame in Syria is likely to be messy and violent in any case, but accelerating the regime's fall could limit some of the damage. Beefing up the FSA's capacity would also put it a better position to deal with the post-Assad transition. Much of the regime will be swept away if the army breaks, and the opposition must have something ready to replace it. | Improving the Free Syrian Army's planning, intelligence, combat, and command-and-control capabilities would presumably speed this process even further. The endgame in Syria is likely to be messy and violent in any case, but accelerating the regime's fall could limit some of the damage. Beefing up the FSA's capacity would also put it a better position to deal with the post-Assad transition. Much of the regime will be swept away if the army breaks, and the opposition must have something ready to replace it. |
| Palestinian territories | Palestinian territories |
| • Yasser Arafat's personal belongings at the time of his death in 2004 suggest that his body contained abnormal levels of radioactive polonium, according to an investigation by Al-Jazeera. | • Yasser Arafat's personal belongings at the time of his death in 2004 suggest that his body contained abnormal levels of radioactive polonium, according to an investigation by Al-Jazeera. |
| Tests reveal that Arafat's final personal belongings – his clothes, his toothbrush, even his iconic kaffiyeh – contained abnormal levels of polonium, a rare, highly radioactive element. Those personal effects, which were analyzed at the Institut de Radiophysique in Lausanne, Switzerland, were variously stained with Arafat's blood, sweat, saliva and urine. The tests carried out on those samples suggested that there was a high level of polonium inside his body when he died. | Tests reveal that Arafat's final personal belongings – his clothes, his toothbrush, even his iconic kaffiyeh – contained abnormal levels of polonium, a rare, highly radioactive element. Those personal effects, which were analyzed at the Institut de Radiophysique in Lausanne, Switzerland, were variously stained with Arafat's blood, sweat, saliva and urine. The tests carried out on those samples suggested that there was a high level of polonium inside his body when he died. |
| Libya | Libya |
| • Libyans living abroad have started voting in embassies and consulates in six countries, Canada, Dubai, Germany, Jordan, the UK and the USA, the Libya Herald reports. There is no clear idea of how many expatriate Libyans there are, but the figure could be as high as one million, it says. | • Libyans living abroad have started voting in embassies and consulates in six countries, Canada, Dubai, Germany, Jordan, the UK and the USA, the Libya Herald reports. There is no clear idea of how many expatriate Libyans there are, but the figure could be as high as one million, it says. |
| • Saturday's election would be a difficult to administer even with another year to prepare, writes election observer and former US diplomat Daniel Serwer. But despite the problems he remains upbeat: | • Saturday's election would be a difficult to administer even with another year to prepare, writes election observer and former US diplomat Daniel Serwer. But despite the problems he remains upbeat: |
| Foreigners like me are not likely to be able to detect subtler efforts to influence the voting by militias and political parties, and in any event we can cover only a few of the many polling places, none of which are in the most insecure areas. But there are also local observers–both "party agents" and civil society representatives–who are far more likely to detect abuses. Hopefully the presence of internationals flying the banners of EU, the Arab League and The Carter Center will give courage to these local observers. The international presence should also encourage local election boards to try to execute their responsibilities in accordance with the elaborate procedures hurriedly put into effect. The High National Election Commission has issued more than 100 directives. | Foreigners like me are not likely to be able to detect subtler efforts to influence the voting by militias and political parties, and in any event we can cover only a few of the many polling places, none of which are in the most insecure areas. But there are also local observers–both "party agents" and civil society representatives–who are far more likely to detect abuses. Hopefully the presence of internationals flying the banners of EU, the Arab League and The Carter Center will give courage to these local observers. The international presence should also encourage local election boards to try to execute their responsibilities in accordance with the elaborate procedures hurriedly put into effect. The High National Election Commission has issued more than 100 directives. |
| Why do we, and the Libyans, go to all this trouble? The answer is deceptively simple: legitimacy. | Why do we, and the Libyans, go to all this trouble? The answer is deceptively simple: legitimacy. |
| Iran | Iran |
| • The US and Iran have raised the military stakes in the Gulf as scientists from Tehran and six major powers gathered in Istanbul to try to resolve the Iranian nuclear impasse. The US has increased its military presence in the region, doubling the number of minesweepers while bringing in stealth warplanes partly as a deterrent to any Iranian attempt to close the Strait of Hormuz, a choke point on the Gulf through which a fifth of the world's oil supply flows. Meanwhile, as part of extensive war-gamesknown as Great Prophet Seven, Iran test-fired an array of missiles on Tuesday, including the short-range Shahab 1 and Shahab 2 and medium-range Shahab 3, which the state news agency Irna pointed out were capable of striking US ships in the Gulf. | • The US and Iran have raised the military stakes in the Gulf as scientists from Tehran and six major powers gathered in Istanbul to try to resolve the Iranian nuclear impasse. The US has increased its military presence in the region, doubling the number of minesweepers while bringing in stealth warplanes partly as a deterrent to any Iranian attempt to close the Strait of Hormuz, a choke point on the Gulf through which a fifth of the world's oil supply flows. Meanwhile, as part of extensive war-gamesknown as Great Prophet Seven, Iran test-fired an array of missiles on Tuesday, including the short-range Shahab 1 and Shahab 2 and medium-range Shahab 3, which the state news agency Irna pointed out were capable of striking US ships in the Gulf. |