Russia proposed a prolongation of the peace mission of Kofi Annan, special envoy of the UN to Syria, at a UN Security Council meeting. The 300 observers of Annan's monitoring mission in Syria will return home on July 21. Russian deputy representative to the UN Alexander Pankin said that the number of military observers should be reduced and more civil observers should arrive to concentrate on political dialogue rather than monitoring the cease-fire regime.
Russian ship Admiral Chabanenko and three large marine ships left Severomorsk on Tuesday, heading to the Mediterranean Sea and Syria's Port Tartus, Interfax reports.
The Syrian National Council of Abdelbaset Seyid will meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov today. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said that they will discuss Annan's peace plan and the Geneva communique. Seyid will try to persuade Russia to stop providing Syria with weapons and end Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's 40-year reign.
Najib Gadban of the General Secretariate of the SNC expects Russia to approve the resolution of the UN Security Council to use force in Syria.
Spokesman of the SNC Mahmoud al-Hamza said that they will not request Moscow to give al-Assad political asylum.
Spokesman of the US State Department Patrick Ventrell said that settlement of the Syrian conflict should be carried out via the Friends of Syria Group.
Foreign ministers of 5 members of the UN Security Council met in Geneva on June 30.They agreed to form a transitional government in Syria. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius ruled out al-Assad's involvement in the new government. The Friends of Syria Group urged resignation of the Syrian president on July 6.
