Arab Spring may end up as nuclear winter - Russian FM

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says he hopes that the so-called Arab Spring will not end up as a nuclear winter, Forbes reports.

It's autumn now, the minister said, continuing his metaphor.

"Of course it's just a facon de parler, but we should pay attention to those nations that are going to develop nuclear weapons," the minister added.

Lavrov also called for a well-balanced approach to the Iranian problem. Unilateral sanctions and further confrontation are not a way out, he believes.

The Russian official also admitted that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is responsible for violence and disorder in his country, but one should not blame him for fighting 'unarmed civilians', Lavrov said.