Russia to clarify Annan's tasks in Syria with Syrian opposition
Representatives of the Syrian opposition will visit Moscow in the near future, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday. "We expect another group of the Syrian opposition in Moscow soon," Lavrov said in an interview with TV channel Russia 1.He added that, during their meetings with the head of the Syrian National Council (SNC) Burkhan Galiun and other opposition leaders, Russian officials "urged the political opposition to dissociate themselves from those who are trying to render a military dimension to the conflict, as well as from the armed gangs who organize provocations and to whom the [Syrian] government often reacts disproportionally," RIA Novosti reports.
Galiun already visited Moscow in November last year.
According to Lavrov, Syria is now witnessing "to a certain degree the militarization of opposition activity," adding "at least the Syrian National Council headed by Burkhan Galiun announced that it is creating a military wing, which will raise funds to purchase weapons to continue fighting against the regime."
According to Lavrov, "if the scenario develops in such a way, it will be difficult to expect that any of our calls on the [Syrian] government to cease fire will be accepted."
"I share the concerns ... that Syria could prompt the start of a very bad event ... or that a decision on Syria may launch a serious process. And anyone who can influence these processes in some way, must feel the fullness of their responsibilities," Lavrov said.
According to him, if we break the "inter-ethnic, inter-religious character of the complex Syrian state, the history of which includes many dramatic events, the consequences could be unpredictable." "It is obvious that the current structure has not been successful. Unfortunately, it is precisely in this place that the looming crisis in the Muslim world between Sunnis and Shiites could break out. If the present structure is destroyed, the situation may change, not only around Iran, but also around Iraq, where Sunnis feel offended. And they do not hesitate to talk about it," he adds.
In this regard, Lavrov says the Syrian leadership and the opposition should support the approaches of the special envoy of the UN and the Arab League, Kofi Annan, to resolve the crisis in the country.
A day before that, the Syrian authorities claimed they were ready to fully cooperate with Annan on a political solution to the crisis, explaining that they had not abandoned the armed struggle against terrorist groups.
"We once again emphasize that we strongly support what Kofi Annan is doing. We believe that the Syrian leadership must quickly, without delay, support his approaches. We expect the same from the armed and political opposition," Lavrov said.
According to Lavrov, only upon receiving a principle agreement on what the UN and Arab League special envoy to Syria is promoting in his contacts with the Syrians can we begin the process of reconciliation," and then of pan-Russian dialogue.
According to Lavrov, special envoy Annan has conveyed his suggestions to the Syrian leadership. "I can assure you that they are not talking about dismissing (Syrian President) Bashar al-Assad," Lavrov says, commenting on the article by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and British Prime Minister David Cameron, which says that Britain and the United States will support Annan's mission for "transit authority" after the departure of Assad. Thus, according to Lavrov, "this is an inaccurate description of the tasks assigned to Annan."
Annan spoke on Friday at the UN Security Council with a brief report on the situation in Syria, expressing his intention to send a mission to the country for discussing the preparatory arrangements for monitoring the situation in the country.
According to Lavrov, "the Russian side is in favor of Annan's mission to develop a monitoring mechanism that will simultaneously send signals to all the warring parties."
Russia, in particular, supports the introduction of a daily two-hour humanitarian pause, proposed by the International Committee of the Red Cross, Lavrov says.
The minister stated "it seems strange that a political process is going on, and in parallel with it combat operations are being conducted in those urban areas where government forces are opposed to armed opposition groups."
"Of course, excesses also happen. There is no doubt that force is very often applied disproportionally," Lavrov said, adding that Russia "will support any agreement formulated on the basis of pan-Syrian political dialogue between the government and all opposition groups."
According to Lavrov, "one cannot demand something from Assad without imposing similar requirements on those fighting him." "In this situation not only should we work together, but also all those who have influence on the armed opposition should convince them to cease all hostilities and declare a cease-fire," the Minister added.
The minister stressed that Russia is not supporting the Syrian government, but the need to start a political process. "For this it is first necessary to cease fire. The Russian side will do its best for this, regardless of the decisions the Syrian government will take. By the way, we disagree with many of them," he adds.
In Syria, anti-government protests have not stopped for over a year. There are daily reports of deaths - both of civilians and uniformed personnel. According to UN figures, the total number of victims has exceeded 8000 people. Syrian officials have said that in clashes with the armed opposition, more than two thousand soldiers and police officers against whom well-armed militants are acting have been killed.
And, as became known today, at least 27 people have been killed in explosions on Saturday in the Syrian capital Damascus, while 97 people have been injured, Reuters reports, referring to local television. According to eyewitnesses, two explosions went off near buildings of the government security forces. According to BBC and the Radio Broadcasting Corporation, smoke from the explosion was coming from a building belonging to the Ba'ath Party.
