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Wednesday's global agenda: Syrians unite
Your morning global affairs speed-read
All eyes are on the Syrian opposition today as the U.S.-backed Friends of Syria meet in Morocco to try to give added legitimacy to the newly formed Syrian National Coalition, which excludes al Qaeda-linked Islamists. President Obama recognized the group as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people in opposition to the Assad regime in an interview on ABC News Tuesday.
Rocket launch: Expect political reaction to North Korea's latest rocket launch to trickle in throughout the day. Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) and Ed Royce (R-Calif.) have already slammed Obama administration policies for the Hermit Kingdom's continued defiance.
Aid reform: Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.), the outgoing ranking member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, unveils his foreign aid reform bill at a press conference on Capitol Hill today.
Cultural diplomacy: Italy's foreign minister, Giulio Terzi, is in Washington today to inaugurate The Year of Italian Culture in the United States with the loan of Michelangelo's David-Apollo sculpture to the National Gallery of Art. Terzi will also meet with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Capitol Hill.
In other news:
The ouster of Mali's prime minister by the military is upending U.S.-backed plans for a military intervention to retake the northern part of the country from Islamist militants. [The New York Times]
The U.S. is warning Turkey against an oil deal with Iraqi Kurdistan. [The Washington Post]
Egypt postponed its request for a $4.8 billion IMF loan "in light of the unfolding developments on the ground." [The Wall Street Journal]
What you might have missed on Global Affairs:
US ally Rwanda gets bipartisan lashing at hearing on crisis in DR Congo
Lawmaker: Ax aid to Tunisia for denying access to suspect
Treasury slaps new sanctions on Islamist fighters in Syria
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