Lavrov Sez Moscow Would Block Any Initiative Calling for Force Against Iran

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On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia would scuttle any UN Security Council resolution that could be interpreted as allowing military action against Iran. In an interview with Rossiiskaya Gazeta, he was asked whether Israel or the USA could start military operations in Iran, and he replied, “As the Libyan experience has shown, sadly, a military scenario is possible”. Therefore, Russia will exercise an extremely cautious approach at the UN Security Council. Lavrov noted, “We won’t allow any more such disingenuous interpretations. We’ll see to it that no resolution is open to interpretation like the one on Libya”. The West, led by the USA, suspects Iran of pursuing a secret nuclear weapons programme, but the Iran says it needs nuclear power solely for civilian uses. Lavrov observed that there’s “absolutely no evidence” that Iran decided to include a military component in its nuclear programme.

23 October 2012

RIA-Novosti

http://en.ria.ru/russia/20121023/176857678.html

Editor’s Note:

All of Wet Willy’s bellicose dribbling on Iran is sheer bullshit and moonshine. Lavrov appeared in public with Salehi a month ago, and that signalled a Russian guarantee to Iran. China’s behind that move, so, any military operation against Iran isn’t going to happen any time soon (or later). To put it bluntly, the USA is in “check” and it can’t move. All that it (and its amen corner in Israel’s Likud) can do is to make loud toothless growls. Israel lacks the means and the USA lacks the money and human military resources to attack a state such as Iran. It’s not Panama, Grenada, Iraq, Kosovo, or Lebanon. It’s a large and cohesive nation-state with one of the longest histories of any human society. The last time that the USA tried messing with a near-peer, it failed miserably (South Ossetia in ’08… Saakashvili was just Foggy Bottom’s stooge). Also, remember what the PLA did to the USA in Korea… the Chinese infantry wiped up the floor with the Americans (the only thing that ensured a stalemate there was American firepower compensated for lacklustre American boots on the ground… that’s still true today). The same would happen here… but worse.

Do you really want to vote for a liar on 6 November? Willy knows all that I’ve written is true, yet he still makes irresponsible and vacuous threats. Is that what you want in a president? President Obama isn’t perfect by a long shot, but he won’t attack Iran just to prove his machismo… Willy would. That should scare you…

BMD

8 September 2012. History of the Kuril Islands Dispute

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A territorial dispute concerning the ownership of the southern Kuril Islands arose after the end of the Second World War. It’s the main obstacle to a full resolution of questions in Russo-Japanese relations. At a 5 September news conference, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Moscow is ready to discuss with Japan issues related to the conclusion of a peace treaty, but will only do so on the basis of the rule of law and the provisions of the UN Charter. Mr Lavrov said, “Russia is interested in deep and broad cooperation on all fronts, but one of the fundamental issues is the need to rely on the rule of law”. In recent years, increased visits by senior Russian government figures to the disputed territory, according to Japan, led to cooling of bilateral relations. In particular, the second visit of Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev to Kunashir Island in July 2012 became an occasion for protest by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who noted that such a trip could undermine the intention of discussing the territorial dispute “in a peaceful atmosphere”.

7 September 2012

RIA-Novosti

http://en.ria.ru/infographics/20120907/175820440.html

Syrian Conflict: Russia Stands Firmly Against Foreign Intervention

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Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned the West not to take unilateral action in Syria. His comments came after US President Barak Obama warned of what he termed “enormous consequences” if the Syrian government used chemical or biological weapons. Mr Lavrov met senior Syrian officials in Moscow, where he called for national reconciliation and an end to the fighting in the Middle Eastern country.

A stoned-faced President Obama issued a stark warning to the Syrians, “We’ve been very clear to the Assad régime, but also to other players on the ground, that a red-line for us is that we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilised. That would change my calculus”. This was President Obama’s strongest language on this issue to date. It came after Syria said last month that it possessed chemical and biological weapons. Damascus also said that it’d use them if foreign countries intervene in the conflict that’s raged for 17 months now. That seems to have prompted President Obama’s comments and an implicit threat of military action.

David Roberts of the Royal United Services Institute, a defence think-tank, noted, “It’s not even clear what weapons of mass destruction Syria possesses. As with a lot of things when it comes to Syria, especially at the moment, I think we need to be quite clear about things that we’re certain about, and things that we’re not certain about. In terms of certainty, I don’t know of any enormously-reliable sources that say they have chemical weapons, or a certain amount of biological weapons, or whatever it may be. I think they most likely do, but the specific quantities, where they are, and what they are… I don’t think there’s any accurate public information about that”.

Russian officials sought to distance their country from any talks of Syrian stockpiles, stating categorically, “Chemical weapons weren’t supplied to Syria either by the Russian state or by the USSR”. On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met a Syrian government delegation headed by Jamil Qadri, Vice Premier for Economic Affairs. The two men said they discussed chances of achieving national reconciliation in Syria. Lavrov added to the pressure on the Syrian government saying, “Damascus is moving in the right direction, but it’s not moving fast enough towards national reconciliation”. So, why is the Russian government continuing to defend its ally? Despite constant Western pressure, the Syrian government’s showing unwillingness to make moves towards talks with the rebels.

Professor Maksim Bratersky of Moscow’s Higher School of Economics says, “There’s genuine fear in the Russian foreign policy establishment that the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad could lead to violence across the Middle East. Russians believe that régime change, especially with foreign intervention in Syria, would lead to further problems in the region, possibly to a large-scale conflict. More and more specialists here are writing pieces in the newspapers about a new wave of religious wars in the Middle East”. However, for the Professor, keeping Bashar al-Assad in power isn’t the main Russian foreign policy aim, he said, “Moscow’s more worried about the principle of foreign interference in other countries. There were some circulations that Russia’s pursuing something really important and long-term in Syria. I don’t see that. Russia doesn’t have particular economic interests. Yes, there’s a refuelling point for Russian naval ships in Tartus… that’s not a big deal. From the strategic point of view, Syria isn’t very significant to Russian long-term interests. So, I think, in this particular case, Russia is mostly concerned with general issues… how world politics is organised, and what’s allowed, what isn’t allowed, because Russia’s future status depends very much on how this particular conflict is resolved”.

However, the Russian hope that we can avoid substantial foreign interference look increasingly slim and Syrian weapons of mass destruction might well be the trigger. Even aside from the American threats, other nations say they may get involved if circumstances change. For example, Israel said that if Syrian-backed Hezbollah used the situation to take control of the weapons, it would act immediately and with maximum force.

22 August 2012

Hywel Davies

Voice of Russia World Service

http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_08_22/Syrian-conflict-Russia-stands-firmly-against-foreign-intervention/

Russia Calls “Friends of Syria” Group “Immoral”

Here are the insurgents supported by the West… they’re violent Islamists bent on the massacre of Alawis, Christians, and Muslims they don’t like… I guess that’s the real meaning of “humanitarian intervention” à la Hillary Clinton and the American Enterprise Institute…

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Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MID) spokesman Aleksandr Lukashevich said that meetings organised by the Friends of Syria group are one-sided and immoral, saying, “Russia, China and a number of other countries which have traditionally friendly relations with the Syrian Arab Republic and its people have refuse to join those ‘friends’ because we believe that the format that they have chosen isn’t only politically wrong, but also immoral”. His remarks followed a conference of the Friends of Syria group held in Paris on Friday, in which representatives of some 100 countries took part. Participants in the talks voiced strong criticism of Russia and China for their reluctance to join Western and Arab governments in calling on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down.

In her address to the delegates, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Moscow and Beijing “will pay a price” for “holding up progress” on Syria, urging participating countries to put pressure on Russia and China to withdraw their support for Assad, saying, “I ask you to reach out to Russia and China and to not only urge, but demand that they get off the sidelines and begin to support the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people. I don’t think Russia and China believe they’re paying any price at all, nothing at all, for standing up on behalf of the Assad régime”.

Lukashevich said in his comments that the USA and its allies’ “friendship” with the Syrian opposition alone could further deepen the bloody 17-month-long conflict between the Syrian government and those fighting it, noting, “This would mean only one thing… the continuation of bloodshed and new human tragedies. We have an impression that some of the participants in the Geneva meeting on 30 July this year don’t take seriously the responsibility that ensues from the provisions of its final communiqué”. Participants in the Geneva talks, including the five permanent UN Security Council members (Britain, China, France, Russia, and the USA), as well as Turkey, Iraq, Qatar, and Kuwait, urged the Syrian government and opposition groups to immediately end fighting and obey to a peace plan proposed by UN and Arab League envoy Kofi Annan. They also called for the creation of a transitional government in Syria involving members of both the current Syrian leadership and opposition groups.

Lukashevich pointed up that instead of pushing the conflicting Syrian sides to work together to achieve peaceful transition, the Friends of Syria group organise “politico-propagandist performances in the spirit of Party Congresses, where they discuss the fate of Syria in the absence of its representatives, and we hear loud calls from oppositionists to launch an uncompromising fight to overthrow the Syrian leadership”. He added that those calls are strengthened by “generous promises of financial and economic support, as well as behind-the-scenes hints at the possibility of using a military scenario” in Syria.

Russia and China twice vetoed United Nations resolutions against Assad, citing a pro-rebel bias. However, both countries backed Annan’s six-point peace plan, which went into force in April, but has failed to stop the bloodshed. On Friday, a diplomatic source said that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov should hold talks with Syrian opposition groups next week. Also on Friday, the UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution condemning the Syrian authorities for what it said were violations of human rights during the conflict. The resolution was approved by 41 members of the council, with Russia, China, and Cuba voting against it. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in a report submitted to the UN Security Council on Friday that the United Nations can’t verify the number of people killed in Syria since the beginning of the unrest in March 2011. Ban cited NGOs as saying the death toll was between 13,000 and 17,000.

7 July 2012

RIA-Novosti

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20120707/174443798.html