MOSCOW, February 17. /ITAR-TASS/. Sponsors of Syria’s external opposition are setting up a new organization to place a stake on the military scenario again, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after talks with his Eritrean counterpart Osman Saleh Mohammed.
Russia is verifying the information that “some sponsors of the opposition have started to create a new structure – no matter what its name is – from the groups that have withdrawn from the Syrian National Coalition and who hamper the negotiating process and want the new organization to replace the National Coalition,” Lavrov said on Monday.
- “The course for withdrawing from the negotiating track and placing a stake on the military scenario has been taken. We are concerned over this.”
- “We are constantly called for making more efforts to settle the Syrian conflict, they say Russia should persuade the Assad regime to fulfil Geneva communique,” he said. “It's not the first time we hear it. I regularly discuss this topic with John Kerry (US Secretary of State) on the phone and during our regular meetings. If we speak of who should do and what should be done, we need to remember several commitments.”
Russia was expected “to help send a government delegation from Damascus to Geneva, while the United States, a co-author of the initiative, was expected to ensure credibility of Syria’s opposition forces,” the diplomat said. “In practice, we have an opposition group that represents only a part of the external opposition and is called the Syrian National Coalition that has been persuaded to go to Geneva. Ahead of its visit to Geneva Syria’s Muslim Brotherhood and another structure that was the core of the coalition, the Syrian National Council, withdrew from the National Coalition.”
- “As a result, we have the coalition minus two rather serious organizations. Moreover, those opposition groups inside Syria remain overboard. They have never been members of the coalition".
17/2/14
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Lavrov: UN SC never offers precedents to be used for humanitarian intervention in Syria...
ReplyDeleteFebruary 17. /ITAR-TASS/. UN Security Council never offers precedents to be used for trans-border humanitarian intervention in Syria, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday.
“There were reports that the United States had tried to have a legal precedent for trans-border operations into Syria, most likely from abroad,” he said. “If I can see it correctly, it refers to the discussion at the UN Security Council around the humanitarian situation in Syria, and where the parties have been negotiating to adopt a mutually acceptable resolution. The intention is to include in the UN Security Council’s resolution the right for humanitarian convoys to enter the country without notifying the authorities.”
“It contradicts directly the international humanitarian law and norms approved by the UN for humanitarian missions,” Lavrov said. “And the UN will not offer precedents of the kind.”
“I am not aware on how much precedents of the kind are in plans of certain countries. However, according to information available, lots of weapons used by militants from extremist groups are coming to Syria from neighboring countries, and the amount keeps growing,” Russia’s foreign minister said.................http://en.itar-tass.com/world/719481?utm_medium=rss20
17/2/14
Germany pledges support for Syria's opposition....
ReplyDeleteGermany’s Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has promised stronger support for Syria’s opposition.
“We will continue to strengthen moderate forces of the Syrian opposition,” Steinmeier said, following a meeting in Berlin with Ahmed Tomeh, Prime Minister of the interim government of the Syrian National Coalition (SNC).
“With all its might, Germany will continue its humanitarian engagement to the people who suffer in Syria. I discussed today with Prime Minister Tomeh how to provide our assistance in the most effective way,” Steinmeier said in a written statement.
The German Foreign Minister underlined that contribution to the Trust Fund, initiated last year by Germany and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to financially support Syria’s moderate opposition, have now reached a total of 50 million euros. Steinmeier thanked Japan for its contribution to the Trust Fund today with 10 million euros.
German Foreign Minister and the SNC delegation, led by Ahmed Tomeh, have discussed reconstruction projects in areas controlled by Syria’s opposition, humanitarian projects, and also efforts to find a political solution to Syria’s civil war, the Foreign Ministry said in a written statement.
Foreign Minister Steinmeier has renewed his call to the Syria’s Assad regime to make moves in line with the UN Security Council decisions and urged immediate steps to ease the suffering of Syria’s people.
“Assad regime is urgently requested implement the clear provisions of the UN resolution and immediately ensure full humanitarian access to the conflict areas,” Steinmeier stressed.
http://www.aa.com.tr/en/news/293742--germany-pledges-support-for-syrias-opposition
26/2/14
Christians Under Threat in Syria. -Jen Psaki, Department Spokesperson....
ReplyDeleteThe United States deplores continued threats against Christians and other minorities in Syria, who are increasingly targeted by extremists. Last week in Raqqa, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) announced it will force Syrian Christians to either convert to Islam, remain Christian and pay a tax, or face death. These outrageous conditions violate universal human rights. ISIL has demonstrated time and again its disregard for Syrian lives, and it continues to commit atrocities against the Syrian people. Although ISIL claims it is fighting the regime, its oppression of and senseless violence against Syrians, including the moderate Syrian opposition, demonstrates that it is fighting for nothing except the imposition of its own brand of tyranny.
While the Assad regime attempts to paint itself as a protector of Syria’s minorities, it has brutally cracked down on dissent from all segments of society. The regime has arrested Christian worshippers, human rights advocates, and peaceful dissidents like Akram al Bunni and President of the Assyrian Democratic Organization, Gabriel Moushe Gourieh; raided and confiscated church property; shelled Christian communities like Yabrud; and bombed dozens of churches, some simply for being located in opposition-held areas.
The Syrian people have a long history of tolerance and co-existence, but both the regime and ISIL are fueling sectarian strife to justify their brutality. We strongly condemn these abuses and urge all parties to protect and respect the rights of all Syrians, regardless of ethnicity, gender, or religion.
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2014/03/222802.htm
3/3/14