Lavrov Guarantees “No External Intervention” in Syria

The USA wants to hand Syria over to the Islamists… just as it did in Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq… and it props up Islamist kleptocratic dictatorships in the KSA and the Gulf states… what’s wrong with that picture? Yet, it refuses to talk with Iran, a free Islamic state. Islam… yes… you can talk with them. Islamism… no… they’ll put a knife to your throat. If you can’t tell the difference, shut up… it IS a matter of “life and death”… 

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On Thursday, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the UN Security Council wouldn’t mandate an intervention in Syria. He told journalists in the Kazakh capital of Astana, “There’ll be no external intervention by the UN Security Council, I guarantee you that”. Western countries have made attempts in UN Security Council to take tough measures against the Syrian government, as, according to UN statistics, clashes between government forces and the opposition since March 2011 have caused some 9,000 deaths. So far, the Security Council hasn’t come to a unanimous decision since both Russia and China have vetoed intervention in Syria so as not to repeat the “Libyan scenario”.

Earlier on Thursday, at the UN General Assembly, UN special envoy Kofi Annan said that both sides rejected his six-point peace plan aimed to stop violence in Syria, saying, “Today, despite the acceptance of the six-point plan and the deployment of a courageous mission of UN observers to Syria, I must be frank and confirm that the plan isn’t being implemented”. The six-point plan put forward by Annan in March called for a ceasefire and that humanitarian agencies could have access to Syria. It also envisioned the release of detainees, an open political dialogue taking into account the aspirations of the Syrian people, and unrestricted access to Syria for international media outlets. Also on Thursday, Vitaly Churkin, the Permanent Representative of the RF to the UN, said that Russia proposed holding an international conference on settling the situation in Syria in the near future.

7 June 2012

RIA-Novosti

http://en.ria.ru/world/20120607/173904943.html

Monophysite Patriarch Says “Outsiders” Responsible for Unrest… Arab League Wants to Send New Mission… Russia Wants “Careful Deliberation” Before Any UN Action

Motorcade of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (1950- ) in Damascus  (Damascus Governorate) SYRIA

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The BBC reported that Saudi Arabia’s circulating a new resolution on Syria at the UN, a week after Russia and China vetoed a similar measure. The draft resolution “fully supports” an Arab League plan calling on President Bashar al-Assad to hand over power to his deputy. It also lays the blame for the violence squarely on the Syrian authorities, and calls for UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to appoint a special envoy to ensure a peaceful solution to the 11-month-old unrest. The Saudi draft is similar to the one vetoed by Russia and China in the UN Security Council on 4 February. Russia said the Security Council was too “hasty” in bringing the resolution to a vote and described Western condemnation of Moscow’s veto as “hysterical”. Russia is one of Syria’s largest arms suppliers and has a naval base there.

During a visit to Damascus last week, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said President Assad was ready for dialogue with all political forces. In a short televised speech on Friday, Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah criticised Russia’s support for Assad and described its veto as “absolutely regrettable”. On Monday, the UN General Assembly’s due to discuss the crisis in Syria. Iranian Press TV cited diplomatic sources saying the Assembly wouldn’t put the Saudi draft to a vote on Monday, but that there could be a vote later next week. However, General Assembly resolutions aren’t binding, unlike those of the Security Council.

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On Sunday, at a meeting with Russian political experts visiting Syria, His Holiness Patriarch Ignatius Zakka Iwas, the Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, said foreigners are instigating the present Syrian unrest. He told the Russian experts at his residence in Damascus, “The tumult’s being instigated by external forces, not by Syrians”. He also ruled out the possibility of any repressions against Christians living in Syria, saying, “There are no security guards in the Patriarch’s Office, the situation’s calm. Christians in Syria stand secure, in contrast to those in Egypt and Iraq. There isn’t any anti-Christian spirit in Syrian society”. The Syrian state news agency SANA organised the meeting with the patriarch. Today, five churches use the title of Patriarch of Antioch and all the East:

• Universal Syriac Orthodox Church
• Syriac Catholic Church
• Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch
• Melkite Greek Catholic Church
• Syriac Maronite Catholic Church

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On Sunday, Egyptian television said that the Arab League’s considering a proposal to send a new mission to conflict-torn Syria, including UN monitors. The League also wants to ask the world community to tighten its sanctions on Damascus. The discussion came a week after Russia and China blocked a UN Security Council resolution on Syria. On Sunday, an Arab League ministerial meeting began in Cairo behind closed doors. The agenda of the meeting centred on the need to settle the Syrian uprising. The Arab League was at the forefront of regional efforts to end violence in Syria. The group put forward a plan that Assad agreed to in December, and, then, sent monitors to Syria. The League withdrew its monitoring mission from Syria in January because the régime failed to stop the continuing bloodshed.

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On Sunday, Al Arabiya television reported that Syria rejected an Arab League resolution calling for a joint UN-Arab peacekeeping force in the country and tightened economic sanctions on Damascus. In a brief headline, the channel reported that Syria rejected the Arab League proposal “completely”. It didn’t give further details.

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On Monday, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that an international peacekeeping mission to Syria requires approval from Damascus and an end to the present violence. The Arab League ended its observer mission in Syria and asked the UN Security Council on Sunday to send a peacekeeping force to the country. It also called on Arab nations to break diplomatic relations with Damascus to pressure it to put an end to the violence. Lavrov said, “The host country has first to approve a peacekeeping mission. First of all, a peacekeeping mission should have a peace that it’ll then keep”. He also said Moscow was waiting for explanation of the Arab League’s initiative.

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The Syrian National Council (SNC), the driving force behind the Syrian opposition, stated that Russia should have a second chance to change its current stance on Syria during voting in the UN Security Council. On Monday, Najib al-Ghadban, a member of the SNC, said in an interview with the newspaper Al-Sharq al-Awsat, “We need to give Russia a second chance, so that it can change its approach to the situation in Syria during voting in the UN Security Council. If Russia uses its veto again in a Security Council resolution on Syria, then, support that can be developed outside the Security Council, which would leave Moscow out of international efforts to resolve the conflict in Syria”. Another SNC member, Haytham al-Malih, believed that “Russia realised that it’s in a difficult situation” after the decision taken by the ministerial meeting of the Arab League in Cairo, saying, “Moscow needs to hold urgent consultation with all parties involved to confirm their involvement in the resolution of the Syrian crisis. We expect that Russia’s position on the Syrian issue will undergo significant changes soon”.

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On Monday, Catherine Ashton, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said that most observers expect that EU foreign ministers shall approve a new set of sanctions against Syria at a meeting on 27 February. Earlier reports said that the projected sanctions include a freeze on the assets of the Central Bank of Syria in EU countries, as well as a ban on exports and imports of phosphates, precious metals, and gems.

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On Monday, Mikhail Bogdanov, the Presidential Middle East Ambassador, said that Russia doesn’t rule out participation in a potential UN peacekeeping mission to Syria. He told Ekho Moskvy FM radio, “As for such a mission, we need an agreement with the Syrian government. There’d be a question about its members, mandate, and disposition. If we agreed to the terms of the mission’s presence in the country, if it fulfilled the principles of the UN Charter, there’d be no problem”. Also on Monday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MID) said it suspended operations at the Russian Embassy School in Damascus, saying, “We took this decision for the safety of the children studying there”. The MID added that the Russian embassy itself would continue normal operations.

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On Tuesday, Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said that the UN Security Council must approve the mandate of any international mission in Syria. The last meeting of the Arab League proposed that the UN send peacekeeping forces to Syria. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Moscow was studying the suggestions of the Arab League. Later, Presidential Middle East Ambassador Mikhail Bogdanov added that Russia didn’t rule out participation in a potential UN peacekeeping mission to Syria. Gatilov said, “Such a mandate would require very careful deliberation, as we’ve already seen what happened in Libya. Our Western partners later interpreted the approved mandate in their own fashion; in fact, their activity went beyond this mandate. We’re ready to consider such an option, but we should know exactly what kind of mission we’re talking about. At the moment, we’ve heard conflicting versions; it isn’t clear whether some want a military mission or a peacekeeping force”. During consultations with Israel, Gatilov discussed issues related to cooperation at the UN and the problems surrounding the reform process in the UN.

 11-14 February 2012

RIA-Novosti

http://en.rian.ru/world/20120211/171264417.html

http://en.rian.ru/culture/20120212/171277256.html

http://en.rian.ru/world/20120212/171277784.html

http://en.rian.ru/world/20120213/171280231.html

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20120213/171288914.html

http://en.rian.ru/world/20120213/171290910.html

http://en.rian.ru/world/20120213/171297469.html

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20120213/171298532.html

http://en.rian.ru/world/20120214/171305947.html

Russia and China Veto Western Aggression Against Syria at the UN

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Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Syria that called on President Bashar al-Assad to step down. Thirteen of the council’s 15 members voted in favour of the resolution aimed to stop the violence in Syria. After the vote, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin said, “The draft resolution that was put to a vote didn’t reflect Syria’s realities well enough and sent conflicting signals to the political forces in Syria”. Previously, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the resolution didn’t set enough demands on anti-government armed groups, and that Russia was concerned it could jeopardise the national dialogue among political forces in Syria. Earlier on Saturday, Lavrov said he and Foreign Intelligence Service head Mikhail Fradkov would visit Syria and meet with President al-Assad on 7 February. President Dmitri Medvedev ordered the visit. Lavrov didn’t reveal any details of the upcoming the visit.

This is the second time that Russia and China, as permanent members, have vetoed resolutions on the Syria issue. In October, they blocked a European-sponsored resolution condemning Syria and threatening possible sanctions. According to the UN, the Syrian government‘s 11-month crackdown on protests killed at least 5,400 people. Syrian authorities blamed the violence on armed gangs affiliated with al-Qaeda, and said that more than 2,000 soldiers and police were killed. Some Western countries tried to persuade Moscow to support a resolution effectively authorising a military operation, but Russia repeatedly insisted that the Western drive for a stronger crackdown on Syria is a preparation for a “Libyan scenario”. Russia, one of Assad’s firm supporters during the uprising against his régime, indicated earlier this week that it would veto any draft resolution calling on Assad to step down and providing for “further measures” should he refuse. Moscow proposed its own draft, which the West criticised as being too soft.

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On Saturday, US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said she was “disgusted” by the Russian and Chinese veto on a Security Council resolution on Syria that urges President Bashar al-Assad to step down. Thirteen of the council’s 15 members voted in favour of the resolution aimed to stop the ongoing violence in Syria. She said, “Any further bloodshed that flows will be on their [Russia's and China's] hands”. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the failure to condemn President al-Assad increased the risk of more bloodshed and civil war in Syria, saying, “If we don’t begin the process, I know what’ll happen… more bloodshed, increasing resistance by those whose families are being killed and whose homes are being bombed, and a greater likelihood that Syria will descend into civil war”.

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On Saturday, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov explained why Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Syria, saying that without Russia’s latest amendments, the draft would be unilateral and would harm Syria if adopted. On Saturday, veto-wielding UN Security Council members Russia and China blocked the Morocco-proposed draft resolution on Syria that called on President Bashar al-Assad to step down. Thirteen of the council’s 15 members voted in favour of the draft, backed by the Arab League and the West. Lavrov said he sent Russian amendments to the draft resolution on Friday to US State Secretary Hillary Clinton and Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin so that all partners could get familiarised with them. Lavrov said, “No one can doubt the rationality and objectivity of these amendments”.

Although UN Security Council diplomats had toned down the latest draft in an apparent move to overcome Russia’s opposition, Lavrov said the Morocco-submitted plan was “unilateral”. He pointed up that we should assess the extremist groups provoking violence in Syria in a proper way, which hasn’t been done. He said the resolution didn’t set enough demands on anti-government armed groups, and that Russia was concerned it could jeopardise Syria’s national political dialogue. Besides, he noted, the draft resolution contained a demand that all Assad’s forces should withdraw from cities and towns. Lavrov said, “This phrase, without being linked to a simultaneous termination of violence on the part of armed extremist groups, is absolutely provocative, as no president with self-respect, no matter how treated, will agree to surrender inhabited localities to armed extremists without resistance”.

On Saturday, US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said she was “disgusted” by the Russian and Chinese veto on the draft, and that “all further bloodshed” that could follow will be on the two countries’ conscience. Rice said, “For months, this council has been held hostage by a couple of members. These members stand behind empty arguments and individual interests while delaying and seeking to strip bare any text that would pressure Assad to change his actions”. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also condemned the veto, and his statement distributed through his spokesman called it, “A great disappointment to the people of Syria and the Middle East, and to all supporters of democracy and human rights. It undermines the role of the United Nations and the international community in this period when the Syrian authorities must hear a unified voice calling for an immediate end to its violence against the Syrian people”.

Lavrov said, “We’ve repeatedly said that we aren’t protecting Assad but international law. The prerogatives of the UN Security Council don’t envision interference in internal processes”. Asked why Russia initially agreed with the resolution, but then changed its mind, Churkin said the situation has changed in the past month since the Arab League put forward its plan for Syria. The heads of the Russian and Chinese delegations said their countries hope the international community continues its efforts to stop violence in Syria. On Saturday, Qatar-based satellite TV broadcaster Al Jazeera reported, citing UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, that a new major army offensive in the central Syrian city of Homs killed at least 217 people. Syrian authorities denied any involvement.

4 February 2012

RIA-Novosti

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20120204/171146455.html

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20120204/171148969.html

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20120205/171151527.html

New UN Resolution on Syria Watered Down… Churkin says “Nyet” to Western Aggression against Syria Disguised as “Humanitarianism”

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On Thursday, the BBC reported that UN Security Council diplomats toned down a resolution on Syria in a move apparently aimed at overcoming Russia’s opposition to an earlier draft. The new text, submitted by Morocco, no longer explicitly calls on President Bashar al-Assad to hand over power, which was a key point of an Arab League plan to settle the Syrian conflict. According to the UN, the Syrian government‘s 11-month crackdown on protests killed at least 5,400 people. Syrian authorities blamed the violence on armed gangs affiliated with al-Qaeda, and said that more than 2,000 soldiers and police were killed. Russia, along with China, already vetoed a European-drafted resolution containing the threat of sanctions against Syria in October 2011.

Amnesty International advised Russia against blocking international efforts to end ongoing violence in Syria and to join a binding UN Security Council resolution. Russia, one of Assad’s firm supporters during the uprising against his régime, indicated earlier this week that it would veto any draft resolution calling on Assad to step down and providing for “further measures” should he refuse. Moscow proposed its own draft, which the West criticised as being too soft. Some Western countries tried to persuade Moscow to support a resolution effectively authorising a military operation, but Russia repeatedly insisted that the Western drive for a stronger crackdown on Syria is a preparation for a “Libyan scenario”. In Libya, rebels ousted and killed long-standing dictator Muammar Gaddafi in October 2011 after a months-long military standoff in which they received assistance from NATO forces. On Wednesday, Vitaly Churkin, the Russian Ambassador to the UN, said Russia would vote against the Morocco-submitted draft on Syria if it turned out unacceptable for Moscow.

2 February 2012

RIA-Novosti

http://en.rian.ru/world/20120202/171102149.html