NO Libyan scenario in Syria - Lavrov
RUSSIA: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has expressed
Moscow’s strong opposition to repetition of the Libyan scenario in the
conflict-stricken Syria, stressing that the Kremlin will not allow such
a thing happen again.
“We’ll not allow the Libyan experience to be reproduced in Syria.
Unfortunately our Western partners have departed from the Geneva accords
and are seeking the departure of [Syrian President] Bashar al-Assad,”
RIA Novosti news agency quoted Lavrov as saying on Sunday. He went on to
note that Russia had not been involved in any talks on Assad’s future,
dismissing speculation that Moscow was preparing for the Syrian leader’s
departure.
“We are not holding any talks on the fate of Assad,” Lavrov said.
“All attempts to present the situation differently are rather shady,
even for the diplomacy of those countries that are known for striving to
distort facts in their own favor.”
He stressed that the priority was to end the unrest in Syria, not to
discuss the fate of one man.
The Russian foreign minister added that the Kremlin was not clinging
to any individual leader in Syria, saying, “Our position on Syria is
well-known. Moscow does not stick to Assad or to some other figure on
the Syrian political scene.” Syria has been experiencing unrest since
March 2011. Many people, including large numbers of security forces,
have been killed in the turmoil.
The Syrian government says the chaos is being orchestrated from
outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of
the militants are foreign nationals.
PRESS TV |