Despite intense US diplomatic pressure, the issues of Syria's Kurds, Russian bases and foreign fighters remain under discussion between all involved parties. Their resolution will inevitably pass via Ankara, much to the chagrin of Tel Aviv, Paris and the Gulf states.
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Back-door diplomacy Commissioner Jérôme Léonnet heads a discreet institution within the French world of secrecy: the Intelligence Services Inspectorate. Léonnet held a succession of posts in the world of intelligence before taking the helm of this curious French administrative body, which carries out control, audit and inspection missions.
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Agencies The family of murdered Franco-Cambodian politician Lim Kimya, who was killed on 7 January in Bangkok, is campaigning for Brussels to raise customs tariffs on Cambodia, which is suspected of being behind the assassination.
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Back-door diplomacy The Iranian Space Agency has pushed back to July the launch of its two new Earth observation satellites, Pars 1B and Pars 2.
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Space 
