Lavrov Says Denying Iran a Role in Syria Talks 'Thoughtless'
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Russia will not approve the use of force against the Syrian regime at the United Nations, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Saturday at a briefing in Moscow.
"We will not sanction the use of force at the United Nations Security Council," Lavrov said in televised remarks as he gave a briefing on Russia's proposal for an international conference on Syria.
He acknowledged that U.N.-Arab envoy Kofi Annan's tattered peace plan for Syria was stalling but stressed the Kremlin saw no alternative to it.
"The settlement plan has begun to seriously falter," Lavrov said. "We do not see an alternative to the implementation of this plan."
Russia, which is pushing for a conference on Syria to include Iran despite U.S. protests, said that to deny Tehran a role in helping negotiate an end to the crisis would be "thoughtless".
"To say that Iran doesn't have a place because it is already to blame for everything and it's part of the problem and not part of the solution ... this is thoughtless to say the least," said Lavrov.
He said that Russia would be "only glad" to support the departure of President Bashar Assad if Syrians agreed on it, without wanting to impose the process from the outside.
"If the Syrians agree on this with each other, we will be only glad to support such an outcome," said Lavrov, adding that Moscow did not want to "impose the conditions of dialogue from outside."
Russia, along with China, has vetoed two Security Council resolutions against Assad and have vowed to oppose any military intervention.
Former U.N. chief Kofi Annan, the author of a fledgling peace plan on Syria, called Friday for "additional pressure" in the wake of a new massacre as he held talks in the United States.
Britain, France and the United States will quickly draw up a Security Council resolution proposing sanctions against Syria over the worsening conflict, diplomats said Friday.
09 June 2012, 17:59
33
russia will soon be out of the mediterrenean soon and for a looooooong time
09 June 2012, 18:53
12
The Russians are like most dictatorships: full of meaningless thinking. They try to create scenarios which are illogical by all standards. They killed Muslims in tsitsnia and are willing to destroy everything for nothing. Putin was elected with fraud votes and the Rissian country is so much backward in everthing. I visited Russia recently and was amazed at how much it's still the same as with the Soviet era. While walking on the street in Moscow, you could see the KGB everywhere. This country would never change. With all their flaws, the Americans are way far better than them. As for Syria, only the people of Syria will ultimately topple the regime. If the people wanted to live, it will be given to them, as per our great poet Alshabi.
09 June 2012, 19:08
30
As a matter of principle, Lavrov is correct. It is not the world's business if Assad choses to govern by murdering Syrians. It only becomes the world's business and the imperitive to act only arises when the actions of the Assad Regime constitute a threat to other nation-states, either in the neighborhood, the region or internationally. To the extent that Assad seeks to ignite a regional sectarian war as a means of survival, then a preemptive war against the Assad Regime to stop this clear and present danger can be justified.
In Lebanon, this has happened, but Lebanon is captive of Assad's ally Hezbollah and therefore will not defend itself nor call upon the international community for defense.
If Assad crosses the line in Turkey, a NATO ally, this is another matter.
09 June 2012, 19:31
12
Two sides are arguing and fighting. Both sides have backing from major political powers. Also, both sides are at a stalemate where no one is winning, and only the Syrian civilians are losing.
Now, to make this stop, both sides must sit together along with the people backing them to arrive at a peaceful resolution. What's the point of having a discussion where only one side exists and the other side is banned from the negotiating table? Is peace really possible this way?
Diplomacy is an art of talking to your enemy, not an art of talking to your friends.
09 June 2012, 19:49
01
@Truedemocracy. It is a well taken point. However, none of the outside parties are interested in saving the Syrian people, which should be the purpose of the exercise. Iran, which supports Assad does so in order to secure the viability of its deterrent force in Lebanon which Assad supports. Russia supports Iran because it wants to be a regional player against the US who has a monopoly among the Sunni states and Israel.
The US is playing Assad to diminish Iran as a potential competitor in the region and the Saudis are arming the Syrian opposition since they are opposing an Iranian ally and Iran is the main proponent of ascendant Shiism which is trying to contest Sunni power in the region.
Assad is trying to survive and the Syrian people are having their throats slit.
The solution lies not in common ground on ending the carnage inflicted on the Syrian people as their suffering does not motivate any of the players in the game.
09 June 2012, 20:56
11
just look who M8 praise and are allied to(syria, china, russia, iran... all dictatorships) and you understand their way of thinking....
09 June 2012, 21:23
00
nonsense, what is he saying? he needs a translator, as his words make zero sense. the check is in the mail.
10 June 2012, 14:18
20
ROFL! FT is going to tell us soon that syria russia china north korea iran are democracies where people have the right to oppose their gvt!
stop FT: it s a friendly advice, you don t seem to notice how ridiculous you are by trying to justify urself!
i bet the iranian regime in lebanon is the best one towards democracy hahahha!!!
you made my day with such claouny comments!
a real 5 year old trying to talk like an adult...
10 June 2012, 14:50
20
"you desperately seek to categorize me and this is driving you crazy."
i only see one desperate guy trying to justify himself... but your posts speak against you!
you have categorized yourself many times :FPM new style trying to justify why your puppet denies everything he used to defend before! that is what makes you illogic and ridiculous! how to defend someone who always said white then says black! hard it seems! lol
defending a party that pledged allegiance to a foreign power you call it patriotism, defending a regime your master always labeled as terrorist, you call it patriotism, defending the weapons of a political party and denying the FSI and army to be the only ones armed, you call it patriotism!
i call it stupidity and against the interesst of an independent and sovereign state!
but be my guest keep on making us laugh..
10 June 2012, 15:09
00
bankrupt??? haroum enti habibi.. the russians are drilling oil in the antarctic where there is more then all the middle east put together.russia and china have the big money,america is in debt to china,for your information ...
10 June 2012, 15:43
00
Go the flame..100% There is something wrong with every m14 i meet, all they do is insult and dream up these fantasy's where the good are on 1 side and the bad on another...this is not a action movie people,this is reality,and in reality everything is not black or white..there is plenty of grey that neither of us have big enough boots to know. as for lebanon i can not see a salution in the near future. i hope im wrong but because of how the country is split and the current and future situation in syria. mate we are going to crash and burn.god help us
10 June 2012, 16:23
00
Normzz = it is not a pb of good or bad but the problem of a party armed to the teeth and blackmailing every gvt in place to do what they want other they resort to arms...
it s the matter of a so-called lebanese party that is obeying a foreign country and fulfilling its agenda rather than proposing solutions to improve the lebanese economy and life of people!
they are here just to bring chaos to the country and weakening the state so that they can pull the strings!and you have sheep followers who prefer follow the power of arms so that their leaders can benefit from it financially ...
they don t understand that this party is playing the game of israel which gets all the advantages of a weak and divided country!
but let them be, one day they ll realize when it ll be too late!
10 June 2012, 16:24
00
Fadson sorry buddy you got it all wrong FT AKA Mama's boy is proudly graduate of Dahiye University. the economy they teach there is how to cheat on the state institutions to get free electricity, water etc...
