Russians can replace Austrians in Golan Heights - Putin
RUSSIA: President Vladimir Putin proposed that Russian peacekeepers
replace departing Austrian troops monitoring the Israeli-Syrian
ceasefire line in the Golan Heights that has been the scene of an
upsurge in fighting in recent days.
"Considering the difficult situation that is developing today in the
Golan Heights, we could replace the departing Austrian contingent in
this region separating Israeli forces from the Syrian army," Russian
news agencies quoted Putin as saying.
The Kremlin chief stressed that this was only a proposal and that a
formal request had to come from the United Nations and be agreed with
both Israel and Syria.
"Of course (this will happen) only if the regional powers express an
interest in this, if the UN secretary general asks us about this," said
Putin.
The Russian leader added that he had recently received a request for
Moscow's broader participation in UN peacekeeping missions during a
meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
The Foreign Ministry in Moscow said Russia's top diplomat Sergei
Lavrov also spoke with Ban by telephone Friday about the Golan Heights
situation.
Ban and Lavrov "discussed the military and political situations in
Syria in the context of the sharply escalating situation... in the Golan
Heights," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.
AFP
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