Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke out against calls for Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad to be dismissed, ITAR-TASS reports.
He emphasized that Russia strives for a settlement of the conflict through negotiations. The refusal of the opposition to start talks is partly responsible for the deaths of peaceful citizens.
Lavrov said that the veto of the resolution at the UN Security Council on February 5 is not an end to consultations. The proposal for both the government and the opposition to withdraw forces from cities was rejected.
The minister made particular mention of the Russian resolution project. He reminded that peacekeeping operations in Syria need the approval of all sides. Lavrov mentioned that he will meet the French foreign minister and discuss the French resolution project.
