PARIS (Reuters) – U.N. cultural agency UNESCO condemned Syria on Thursday for its crackdown on a year-long uprising but did not expel Damascus from its human rights committee as some Western and Arab countries had demanded, diplomatic sources said.

The executive board of the U.N. Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) elected Syria to two panels in November, including one that assesses human rights violations.

PARIS (Reuters) – Arab countries are sending mercenaries to Syria to thwart any chance of a negotiated settlement to end President Bashar al-Assad’s crackdown on a year-long uprising against his rule, Iran’s ambassador to France said on Thursday.

Iran, a close ally of Assad’s government, was initially very supportive of the way the Syrian authorities were putting down the uprising, but has lately been saying that Assad should enact reforms that take account of popular grievances.

PARIS (Reuters) – Iran’s envoy to France said Tehran was optimistic about new talks with world powers on its nuclear program but Iran would not negotiate on its right to enrich uranium.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who would lead future talks with Iran on behalf of six powers, said on Tuesday there would be an attempt to revive the talks – stalled for more than a year – aimed at allaying suspicions that Iran is developing nuclear weapons.

PARIS (Reuters) – Iran’s envoy to France said Tehran was optimistic about new talks with world powers on its nuclear programme but Iran would not negotiate on its right to enrich uranium.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who would lead future talks with Iran on behalf of six powers, said on Tuesday there would be an attempt to revive the talks – stalled for more than a year – aimed at allaying suspicions that Iran is developing nuclear weapons.

PARIS (Reuters) – U.N. cultural agency UNESCO is set to condemn Syria at its executive board meeting on Wednesday but fall short of Western and Arab hopes of expelling it from its human rights committee, according to a draft resolution obtained by Reuters.

The U.N. Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) executive board, which includes the United States, France and Russia, elected Syria to two panels in November, including one that judges human rights violations.

PARIS (Reuters) – France voiced skepticism on Wednesday that planned fresh talks between six world powers and Iran would succeed since Tehran still did not seem sincerely willing to negotiate on the future of its controversial nuclear program.

The EU’s foreign policy chief, who represents the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany in dealings with Iran, said on Tuesday they had accepted Iran’s offer to return to talks after a standstill of a year that has seen a drift towards conflict in the oil-rich Gulf.

TUNIS (Reuters) – The first of the wounded and sick women and children trapped in the besieged Baba Amro district of Homs were evacuated on Friday as international pressure mounted on the Syrian government to call a cease fire and allow in humanitarian aid.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said the Syrian Arab Red Crescent initially brought out seven women and children and took them to a hospital in Homs.

TUNIS (Reuters) – The Syrian Arab Red Crescent began evacuating wounded or sick women and children from the Baba Amro district of the besieged city of Homs on Friday as international pressure mounted on the Syrian government to open the country up to humanitarian aid.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said the evacuation was underway after Syrian Arab Red Crescent ambulances had entered Baba Amro. “It’s a first step forward,” ICRC chief spokeswoman Carla Haddad told Reuters in Geneva.

TUNIS (Reuters) – Western and Arab nations will demand on Friday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad halt his 11-month-old crackdown on the opposition and allow aid to be delivered to desperate civilians trapped by the escalating violence.

With little sign of any international resolve to intervene to end the violence, Syria’s opposition appeared to be taking matters into its own hands, saying it was supplying weapons to rebels inside Syria while Western and other states turned a blind eye.

TUNIS (Reuters) – Western and other countries are turning a blind eye to weapons purchases by Syrian exiles who are already smuggling light arms, communications equipment and night vision goggles to rebels inside Syria, a Syrian opposition source said Friday.

Syrian opposition supporters were also trying to find ways to bring anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons to the Free Syrian Army, which is composed mainly of Syrian soldiers who have defected and volunteer civilians, the source said.