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Russian FM in Syria as violence flares
Thousands of Syrians waving Russian flags cheered Russia’s Foreign Minister as he arrived in Damascus on Tuesday for talks with embattled President Bashar Assad on the country’s escalating violence.
Sergey Lavrov’s visit comes days after Syrian allies Russia and China vetoed a Western- and Arab-backed resolution at the United Nations that would have condemned the Assad regime’s crackdown on dissent and calling on him to transfer some of his powers to his deputy. The Syrian Government had rejected the Arab plan as intervention in Syria’s internal affairs.
After talks on Tuesday, Lavrov said President Bashar al-Assad was “fully committed” to ending the bloodshed in Syria even as regime tanks pounded the central city of Homs for a fourth straight day. Lavrov said he had had a “very useful” meeting with Assad and that Moscow was eager to work towards a solution based on an Arab League plan that it had previously criticised.
“We (Russia) confirmed our readiness to act for a rapid solution to the crisis based on the plan put forward by the Arab League,” said Lavrov, adding that Syria was also ready see an enlarged Arab League mission in the country, Russian news agencies said.
Regime forces, meanwhile, stepped up an assault on the flashpoint city of Homs, using tanks and machine guns in a push to recover rebel-held districts.
Live footage from the capital showed Lavrov’s convoy snaking its way along the Mazzeh boulevard among a sea of Assad supporters who turned up to express gratitude for Moscow’s supportive stance.
“Thank you Russia and China” read one banner that had the photos of both Assad and the Russian President. Many stood under rain carrying Syrian flags as well as the red, blue and white Russian banner and balloons.
More than 5,400 people have been killed in Syria since the uprising began in March, the UN said early last month. Hundreds more are believe to have been killed since then, but the UN says the chaos in the country has made it impossible to cross-check the figures.
Syria has blocked access to trouble spots and prevented independent reporting, making it nearly impossible to verify accounts from either side. The Assad regime says terrorists acting out a foreign conspiracy to destabilise the country are behind the uprising, not people seeking to transform the authoritarian regime.
On Monday, troops shelled a mThe escalating violence prompted the United States to close its embassy in Syria while Britain recalled its ambassador to Damascus in a clear message that Western powers see no point in engaging with Assad and now will seek to bolster Syria’s opposition. “This is a doomed regime as well as a murdering regime,” British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Monday.
Thousands of Syrians waving Russian flags cheered Russia’s Foreign Minister as he arrived in Damascus on Tuesday for talks with embattled President Bashar Assad on the country’s escalating violence.
Sergey Lavrov’s visit comes days after Syrian allies Russia and China vetoed a Western- and Arab-backed resolution at the United Nations that would have condemned the Assad regime’s crackdown on dissent and calling on him to transfer some of his powers to his deputy. The Syrian Government had rejected the Arab plan as intervention in Syria’s internal affairs.
After talks on Tuesday, Lavrov said President Bashar al-Assad was “fully committed” to ending the bloodshed in Syria even as regime tanks pounded the central city of Homs for a fourth straight day. Lavrov said he had had a “very useful” meeting with Assad and that Moscow was eager to work towards a solution based on an Arab League plan that it had previously criticised.
“We (Russia) confirmed our readiness to act for a rapid solution to the crisis based on the plan put forward by the Arab League,” said Lavrov, adding that Syria was also ready see an enlarged Arab League mission in the country, Russian news agencies said.
Regime forces, meanwhile, stepped up an assault on the flashpoint city of Homs, using tanks and machine guns in a push to recover rebel-held districts.
Live footage from the capital showed Lavrov’s convoy snaking its way along the Mazzeh boulevard among a sea of Assad supporters who turned up to express gratitude for Moscow’s supportive stance.
“Thank you Russia and China” read one banner that had the photos of both Assad and the Russian President. Many stood under rain carrying Syrian flags as well as the red, blue and white Russian banner and balloons.
More than 5,400 people have been killed in Syria since the uprising began in March, the UN said early last month. Hundreds more are believe to have been killed since then, but the UN says the chaos in the country has made it impossible to cross-check the figures.
Syria has blocked access to trouble spots and prevented independent reporting, making it nearly impossible to verify accounts from either side. The Assad regime says terrorists acting out a foreign conspiracy to destabilise the country are behind the uprising, not people seeking to transform the authoritarian regime.
On Monday, troops shelled a mThe escalating violence prompted the United States to close its embassy in Syria while Britain recalled its ambassador to Damascus in a clear message that Western powers see no point in engaging with Assad and now will seek to bolster Syria’s opposition. “This is a doomed regime as well as a murdering regime,” British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Monday.
