Istanbul has had a crackdown of Syrian protesters against the Friends of Syria Conference, ITAR-TASS.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said on Twitter that such sanctions show that not all Syrians consider the group “a friend”. Syrian authorities support the cease-fire plan of Kofi Annan, unlike the Friends of Syria decision.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the meeting of Friends of Syria in Istanbul should not be viewed as a replacement for the UN Security Council. Kofi Annan, special envoy of the UN and LAS, is responsible for his plan himself. His work can only be evaluated by the UN Security Council, Lavrov emphasizes.
